Speculation over whether Brandon Aiyuk will join the Washington Commanders if and when he’s released by the San Francisco 49ers might have unofficially ended Saturday.The wide receiver, who has taken jabs at the 49ers and repeatedly claimed that he plans to sign with the Commanders in recent social media posts, appeared to take a swipe at Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, his friend and former Arizona State teammate, in another post Saturday night.“Tf always so funny lil n—-. Turn your savage up,” Aiyuk wrote in an Instagram story that tagged Daniels’ account.Aiyuk then posted a video and seemed to address Daniels directly, referring to him as “5.”“‘5’ gonna text me talking about some, ‘You’re on my team now. You follow my rules,'” Aiyuk said, again tagging Daniels’ account. “Boy, I’m a grown-ass man, boy. You gonna have to start running behind your momma and I might believe what you talking about. But until then, mmm-mmm.”
Well this probably puts a quick end to any more speculation about Brandon Aiyuk and the Commanders. pic.twitter.com/tZ2KHwkob8
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 4, 2026Daniels, seemingly in response to Aiyuk’s message, shared a screenshot of Houston Rockets forward and ardent Commanders fan Kevin Durant giving a thumbs-down to a fan earlier this year.Minutes later, Aiyuk followed with yet another Instagram post, sharing a GIF of him holding up a pair of shoes with the message: “Let’s Run it 5! Let’s see ! Need you available all son and I’ll do the same !”It’s plausible that Aiyuk’s social media posts on Saturday were in response to a now-viral video of a fan addressing Daniels at a World Cup match.“Hey, Jayden Daniels,” the fan yelled to Daniels, who laughed in response. “F— Brandon Aiyuk! F— Brandon Aiyuk! F— Brandon Aiyuk! You better not throw s— to him next year. I’m a Niner fan. F— Brandon Aiyuk! F— Brandon Aiyuk!”The back-and-forth was the latest episode in a strange saga for Aiyuk, who remains on the reserve/did not report list for the 49ers.While still technically a member of the 49ers, Aiyuk has taken jabs on social media at the team, its general manager, John Lynch, and his former agent, Ryan Williams.All the while, he’s declared he’ll sign with the Commanders, whose wide receiver depth has been in question for much of the last two years. Aiyuk’s ties to Daniels as well as general manager Adam Peters, who was the 49ers’ vice president of player personnel when they drafted Aiyuk in 2020, made it a potential fit.Multiple people with knowledge of the Commanders’ thinking before Aiyuk’s series of social media videos and photos said the team thought Aiyuk could be a potential boost to its roster, but couldn’t bank on that given the circumstances. Those sources, granted anonymity to speak frankly about a sensitive matter, said at the time that if Aiyuk became available, Washington would consider a short-term, highly incentivized contract for him. The logic was that if he appeared anything like the receiver he was a few years ago, he’d help the roster significantly. And if he didn’t, or if other issues arose, the team could move on without any significant loss.It’s not known where the Commanders stand on Aiyuk since his latest series of social media posts, in which he called the 49ers “stupid” for paying him, likened head coach Kyle Shanahan to a “toddler” and referred to his former agent and Lynch as “weirdos.”Commanders coach Dan Quinn declined to comment when asked about Aiyuk during organized team activities in early June.“You had to take a shot, I understand,” Quinn said. “Yeah, very fair (question).”Jul 5, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
