The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s long standoff with the Niners is no way near a conclusion, as the wideout has publicly criticized the team on multiple occasions for not trading him.

In Aiyuk’s recent Instagram story on July 2, he called the Niners out for voiding his guarantees ($27 million) and retaining him with the team without any further discussion for trade.

“I haven't received a single cent from them in 17 months,” Aiyuk’s Instagram story read. “Folks tryna hold me captive lol."

The Niners voided Aiyuk's guaranteed money of $27 million, which includes $24.935 million in an option bonus and $1.215 million in base salary, according to Spotrac. The Niners made this decision as he failed to show up to mandatory team meetings and rehab sessions for his MCL and ACL injury, which he suffered during the 2024 season. 

"Then my guarantees were voided in July of 2025," Aiyuk wrote on his Instagram story. "This s*** modern day.”

This escalated the standoff further as Aiyuk cut off communication with the franchise and fired his agent in November 2025.

He was placed on the PUP list in July 2025 and was later moved to the reserved/left squad in November 2025.

Though he is still under a four-year, $120M contract with the Niners, he made it clear about his desire to be traded to the Washington Commanders.

In his recent Instagram story posted on July 2, he posted a video of himself dancing, captioning that he will be a Commander soon. 

"Mood cuz Im gone be a Commander soon," Aiyuk wrote. 

He also tagged the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) in another Instagram story and called the institution out for not doing its job properly. He had previously declined to file a grievance with the association when the Niners voided his guaranteed money.

"Can I get a fresh set of eyes on this case !!" Aiyuk's Instagram story caption read on July 2. "Cuz the ones on it right now obviously sleeping on the job!!!"

While Aiyuk continues to fuel trade rumors with the Commanders, former general manager of the Niners, Scot McCloughan, has a warning for the Commanders in considering a trade for Aiyuk.

Ex-Niners GM raises concerns about trading for Brandon Aiyuk

Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan, during his July 2 appearance on the Kevin Sheehan Show, warned the Commanders about Aiyuk's conduct off the field, despite his elite talent.

“When [San Francisco] drafted him, I said, 'He is a No. 1 receiver talent-wise, but you be very, very careful with the character,” McCloughan said on the podcast. “Herm Edwards was the coach [at Arizona State], and he said, ‘Listen, he’s a wildcard. We don’t know if he’s going to show up. We don’t know if he’s going to do anything, or he might come and have the best day of his career.’"

He further warned Aiyuk of similar consequences in the Commanders' building if he gets traded, and expressed disappointment in Aiyuk's behaviour amid the standoff.

McCloughan believes Aiyuk's talent alone could not outweigh the concerns surrounding his consistency and off-field behavior.

Share your thoughts on Aiyuk's latest Instagram story.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar