Overview
- Aiyuk escalated his public campaign on social media over the weekend by tagging and taunting Jayden Daniels, unfollowing the quarterback and prompting a Daniels Instagram response that has been widely viewed as cooling Washington’s interest.
- Those posts came after a viral clip of a 49ers fan berating Daniels at a World Cup match, which Aiyuk cited in his messages and which preceded the unfollow and back‑and‑forth on July 4 and 5.
- The 49ers still list Aiyuk on their reserve/left‑squad list, a roster designation that stops his pay while keeping San Francisco’s contractual control, and the team voided his 2026 guarantees after he missed team‑directed rehab.
- Aiyuk’s severe right‑knee injuries in October 2024 (torn ACL, MCL and meniscus) and the lack of recent team medical exams or on‑field work are major obstacles to any trade or signing and make teams likely to demand medical clearance first.
- League sources say San Francisco has largely abandoned trade talks and is preparing to release Aiyuk in early July, after which any team would probably require reinstatement paperwork, a current physical, and a short, incentive‑heavy ‘prove‑it’ contract.