"They mad 'cause they stupid," wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said about the San Francisco 49ers back in June. "They dumb. They mad that they paid me $50 million in eight months and then voided my guarantees for 2027. And I'm about to be on a new team in 2027."
Sounds like a pretty caustic environment, at least from Aiyuk's perspective.
Considering Aiyuk's former teammate, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, asked for a trade request the previous offseason, perhaps there was some truth behind Aiyuk's grievances; a desire to be released no matter what so he could freely join his collegiate friend, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the Washington Commanders.
That said, in light of Samuel's return to the Bay Area after a one-year absence in Washington, it sure seems as if Aiyuk's stance looks even worse than it was before.
If that's even possible.
Deebo Samuel reunion further stains Brandon Aiyuk's already-bad image
While Samuel left the Niners under vastly different conditions, it would've been one thing if the split was anything but amicable. Deebo even posted a heartfelt farewell to San Francisco after his offseason trade to Washington, which certainly indicated there weren't any hard feelings.
Even with that in the past, Aiyuk might've hoped Samuel would have publicly declared he'd never go back to the 49ers under any circumstances despite still being available in free agency, which could have added a little more credibility to Aiyuk's own grievances.
Instead, it appears as if Samuel and the Niners were chatting all offseason long (and in parallel with the Aiyuk drama).
The former's return only reinforces how wrong Aiyuk might be about the supposed "toxic environment."
Did 49ers send a message to Brandon Aiyuk with Deebo Samuel re-signing?
Assuredly, there'll be no official comment on this from general manager John Lynch or anyone else within the front office.
That said, one can't help but wonder if Lynch and the 49ers smirked a little bit at just how easy it was to get Samuel back in the building while acknowledging the feel-good homecoming for their Round 2 pick from the 2019 NFL Draft.
And that smirk can extend to a subtle "thumbing the nose" at Aiyuk, whose relationship with San Francisco couldn't be any worse than what it is right now.
Plus, by displaying how Samuel had no reservations about returning to his former squad, the 49ers are showing to the rest of the league they are still a desired destination, which doesn't exactly paint Aiyuk in the greatest of lights.
Certainly, the Niners knew what they were doing here. It's a positive side effect, at least from that perspective.
And it doesn't make Aiyuk look any better.
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