While San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has engaged in open digital warfare with his team in hopes of being released or traded to the Washington Commanders, 1 very key person in the entire saga has remained silent.
We got some good insight into why that’s probably a good idea for Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on a video that quickly went viral of his interaction with a 49ers fan at the World Cup.
In the video, Daniels appears to be in a luxury suite as the fan, who is filming the encounter with his phone, approaches from the boundary below the suite.
Daniels smiles and nods in acknowledgment when the fan yells out his name.
“Jayden Daniels!” the fan yells. “F— BRANDON AIYUK! F— BRANDON AIYUK! F— BRANDON AIYUK! YOU BETTER NOT THROW S— TO AIYUK NEXT YEAR! I’M A NINERS FAN! F— BRANDON AIYUK!”
Daniels, incredulous, laughs and looks back at the rest of the luxury suite before the fan walks off.
Daniels and Aiyuk, to wit, were college teammates at Arizona State and have remained close friends over the years — to the point there have been rumors of Aiyuk coming to Washington since the Commanders selected Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Aiyuk, Daniels Have Bond Dating Back to College
Daniels and Aiyuk were teammates for one season at Arizona State in 2019, when Daniels was a true freshman, and Aiyuk was a senior. It also ended up being the most important season of Aiyuk’s college football career.
That season, Aiyuk exploded for 65 receptions for 1,192 yards and 8 touchdowns with Daniels as his quarterback. Aiyuk finished with 1,870 all-purpose yards and was named All-Pac-12.
That one season with Daniels propelled Aiyuk into the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, where he was selected No. 25 overall by the 49ers.
Daniels transferred to LSU for his final 2 college seasons, where he capped his career by winning the Heisman Trophy in 2023 after racking up 4,946 yards of total offense and 50 total touchdowns.
Brandon Aiyuk May Have Alienated Commanders
It’s a safe assumption at this point to think the Commanders may have, just possibly, been turned off by Aiyuk’s unpredictable behavior online — which included a self-filmed, fake, promotional ad trying to get fans to buy Commanders season tickets while wearing a Commanders hat.
Aiyuk is still playing on the 4-year, $120 million contract he signed with the 49ers before the 2024 season, but only played 7 games that season before suffering a severe knee injury. Aiyuk cut off contact with both the team and his agent early in the 2025 season.
In 1 of his latest videos, posted to his Instagram stories, a smiling, disheveled-looking Aiyuk does what appears to be a version of the “Shmurda Dance” to a rap with the words “MOOD CUZ IM GONE BE A COMMANDER SOON” written on the screen.
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who has worked with Aiyuk in past offseasons, led a vocal group of critics over the last week as Aiyuk has sent out almost daily salvos online insulting the 49ers and praising the Commanders.
“He might not step foot in an NFL stadium again if he don’t shut the (expletive) up,” Houshmandzadeh said during a recent podcast appearance. “Like what is he doing? (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters, you sign Brandon Aiyuk, the Commanders should fire you the day you sign him. Adam Peters, you sign Brandon Aiyuk, the Commanders should fire you the day you sign him. Like, what are you thinking? What makes y’all any different than the San Francisco 49ers? You don’t think he’s going to do to you what he’s doing to them? I don’t understand this. If I’m Jayden Daniels, BA is my boy, if it doesn’t work out, is he still going to be my boy? So, do I even want to see if it it will work out? Because I may ruin a relationship over sports.”
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