At this point in the San Francisco 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk saga, really nothing comes as a shock. So when Aiyuk broke his silence and posted a long rant on social media about the situation, it was not surprising at all.
What was more surprising was the fact that it led to conspiracy theories from Washington Commanders fans.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that mandatory minicamp was cancelled because there was full attendance at voluntary OTAs. Some speculated it actually had to do with keeping players fresh ahead of a season that will have a ton of travel, or maybe even because of logistical issues due to the World Cup at Levi’s Stadium.
Some Commanders fans have now decided that Shanahan’s decision actually had to do with the Niners not wanting Aiyuk to report, which could have forced the 49ers to release him. Now they can wait until training camp next month when Aiyuk could potentially report and force San Francisco’s hand.
This doesn’t seem like the most logical thinking, though.
Aiyuk could have reported for OTAs as well, even though they are voluntary, because he is still a part of the team. Shanahan wouldn’t cancel a minicamp unless he truly felt it helped his squad, and it would be malpractice from him and general manager John Lynch if it was only done to spite Aiyuk for his attention-seeking behavior over the last few years.
Maybe one could argue that both things are true: Shanahan wants San Francisco to be rested, and he wants to stick it to Aiyuk a little bit. The Niners have certainly dragged this whole process out longer than they had to, ostensibly, to field trade offers for Aiyuk, even though everyone knows it’s highly unlikely any team is going to part with draft capital for a guy with so many issues, especially when it’s unclear how healthy he is.
Commanders fans pushing this conspiracy theory seemingly want to create a narrative that the 49ers are afraid to see Aiyuk go to Washington where he’d be reunited with quarterback Jayden Daniels. That doesn’t seem to be true. They Niners have surely been having trade talks with Commanders general manager Adam Peters, so they are more than fine with him going there.
They may just want to delay that eventuality as long as they can.
The Niners probably should just cut bait on him soon, though. At this point, they’re just inviting the possibility that something weird happens, or Aiyuk gets hurt, and then they could be on the hook for money.
It’s not some grand conspiracy theory, but the 49ers clearly are dragging their feet on this and should release him at some point this month just to put all this behind them and move forward.
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