49ers' Brandon Aiyuk Tells Commanders' Jayden Daniels 'They Don't Want Me Back'
The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are having difficulties coming to an agreement on a contract extension. And a conversation with Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels might shed some light on the situation.
The 49ers drafted Aiyuk in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. As a first-round-pick, Aiyuk signed the standard four-year rookie contract with a fifth-year team option.
Obviously, the 49ers exercised that option, which means Aiyuk is in the final year of his deal. However, San Francisco could have extended Aiyuk last off-season, but they didn't.
Since then, teams around the NFL have been paying wide receivers A LOT of money, which means Aiyuk is worth more right now than he was a year ago. Except, the 49ers don't seem to want to pay the increased price.
In a video posted to Brandon Aiyuk's TikTok, the receiver can be seen video chatting with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. It's a short clip, without much context, but after Daniels asks Aiyuk what's wrong, Aiyuk replies:
"They said they don't want me back." Daniels says something and Aiyuk follows up with: "I swear."
So, what does it mean? Well, we have no idea. As mentioned, there's not a lot of context here.
The implication is fairly obvious, though. The fact that Aiyuk posted this on social media means that it means something.
Is it simply a leverage ploy by Aiyuk so that San Francisco fans demand that the 49ers pay one of their young stars to keep him around? Maybe.
Is it a way to force the 49ers' hand and make them trade Aiyuk to a team that will pay him? Maybe.
Is Aiyuk telling the world that he wants to go to Washington to play with Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels? Maybe.
Is it all three of those things, or perhaps some combination of the three? Maybe.
We just don't know. And, because it's June and people are yearning for NFL content, this is going to be analyzed and scrutinized up and down.
It means something. We just don't know what, exactly.