49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Just Hurt his Cause with his Latest Video

Yikes.

USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Aiyuk doesn't get it.

He thinks he can get the last laugh and embarrass the 49ers just before they release him, and he lives happily ever after in Washington as a member of the Commanders.

He's dreaming.

And every time he posts a video on social media, he only embarrasses himself.

To his credit, he went four whole days without posting a video online. This was a remarkable feat of self-restraint. During this time, he formally fired his agent and wrote a public letter to the NFLPA. It seemed he was finally taking his career seriously.

Until today, when he posted a 30-second video with the caption, "Mood cuz I'm gone be a Commander soon." In the video, he's dancing and wearing Commanders colors.

Call this a premature celebration. Unless Aiyuk knows something no one else does, he's only delaying his release.

Right now, for better or worse, Aiyuk is in the same boat as Brendan Sorsby, the quarterback who bet on games in college. Admittedly, Sorby's offenses are worse than Aiyuk's, but both players could get blackballed if they don't plan their next moves carefully.

Sorsby hoped to get picked in the 2026 supplemental draft, but the NFL decided not to have one, probably to spite Sorsby in particular. So he had a choice. He could post a bunch of childish videos online in which he tried to force the NFL to let him play in 2026, or he could graciously accept defeat and start preparing for the 2027 Draft.

Sorsby chose Option B.

Aiyuk had a similar decision to make: keep posting childish videos, or end the online tirade, take a bow, take his lashing, and move on.

Aiyuk chose Option A.

For a few days, it seemed like he had discovered impulse control. Apparently, this discovery was short-lived. Which is a shame, because if he simply deactivated his Instagram and YouTube Channels for a month, his odds of getting released most likely would increase.

Before Aiyuk and Sorsby are welcomed into the NFL, both will have to show contrition and demonstrate that they have changed. Sorsby is trying to show those things right now, while Aiyuk is not. He's still thumbing his nose at the 49ers and the NFL, and hurting his cause in the process.

What a shame. Now that Aiyuk doesn't have an agent, it stands to reason that new potential agents have reached out to Aiyuk and tried to educate him to help expedite his return to the NFL. At this point, it's safe to assume that Aiyuk knows exactly what he has to do. And for a few days, he did the right things. But today, he simply couldn't help himself.

Which is strange, because for nine months, Aiyuk essentially said nothing, with the exception of the video he posted of himself driving past Levi's Stadium while driving 100 miles per hour. That certainly was a statement.

Then, June 1st came and went, the 49ers didn't release Aiyuk, and he decided to take matters into his own hands by launching an online campaign against his employer. Now, we're in July, and Aiyuk doesn't seem any closer to achieving his goals. Maybe it's time for him to rethink his game plan.

Complaining hasn't worked. Dancing hasn't worked. Pretending he's already on the Commanders hasn't worked. Calling Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch names hasn't worked.

At this point, Aiyuk's best course of action would be to stay silent, file for reinstatement, show up to the 49ers' facility on Day 1 of training camp, take a physical, and get released. That would be the grown-up thing to do. And it would take so much less effort than filming, editing and posting videos he'll regret in the future.

Aiyuk isn't a bad person. He's not violent, and he doesn't gamble on football games, as far as we know. He simply has a terrible relationship with his employer, which makes him human.

But he's also deeply self-destructive. He already has forfeited the guarantees in his contract, and he probably will have to give back up to $18.4 million of his signing bonus as well. If he signs with the Commanders, that money will come out of his next contract. But if he never plays again in the NFL, that money will come out of his bank account.

It's time for Aiyuk to get serious. No one wants to see him embarrass himself like this.