The situation between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers has turned heads with the wideout recently publishing two different videos going after the Niners, even though he didn’t mention them by name.
San Francisco is making it clear to Aiyuk and the rest of the NFL that, right now, they are only looking to trade him, not release him. Meanwhile, the wideout wants his release, but he’s not getting it from the team despite the videos of him attacking the organization.
During a June 10 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, Leger Douzable shared his thoughts on the situation, noting that the Niners are indeed being petty with Aiyuk.
“To me, this is the 49ers saying, ‘We didn’t get a return on our investment, so we’re going to be petty,” Douzable said. “We’re not going to just let you go off in free agency because obviously nobody wants to trade for him because they would have done that already.’
“So you’re Brandon Aiyuk. You just heard him on Instagram or whatever social platform he was on saying, ‘Well, they gave me $50 million in 8 months, and that’s why they’re mad.‘
“Yes, they’re mad. They didn’t get a return on the investment. And as a former player, I don’t know if this is the right direction to try to get released. But this has been like a drama saga for like the last year plus.”
49ers Should Have a Right to Act Petty Against Brandon Aiyuk
Despite calling the 49ers petty, Douzable noted that he understands why the team is taking this path with Aiyuk. San Francisco paid Aiyuk and never got back anything in return for making that decision.
“So he was injured,“ Douzable added. “He missed half of 2024 with the injury and then missed all of last year with the injury as well. So the 49ers again haven’t got a return on their investment, and they felt like they maybe shouldn’t have paid him.
“But my thing is you can’t have buyer’s remorse, and if you’re going to move on, why keep this dark cloud around the 49ers where players have to answer this question? The GM has to answer this question. The head coach has to answer this question. I understand being a little petty, but it’s gone way too far. Just release the guy.”
Mike Florio Floats Brandon Aiyuk Theory
Teams are wrapping up mandatory minicamp, but the 49ers canceled theirs, citing the attendance in the voluntary workouts. Nonetheless, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio floated a conspiracy theory, noting that the Niners might have canceled mandatory minicamp because Brandon Aiyuk might show up.
“Last week, Kyle Shanahan announced that he had canceled the 49ers’ mandatory mini camp,“ Florio said on the June 8 edition of “PFT Live.“ “If they hadn’t canceled that mini camp, and I wonder how much of the decision to cancel the mini camp was influenced by the very real possibility Aiyuk could have shown up and said, ‘I’m here. Put me on the field. Let me practice.’
“It was established nearly 20 years ago when Steve McNair was on the Titans and they were waiting for the Ravens to give them the trade offer that they liked and they basically locked McNair out of the building. You can’t keep a player away from the facilit; you can’t keep a player away from practice. You have to welcome him in as a member of the team or you have to cut him or trade him.”
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