Jayden Daniels and Brandon Aiyuk Traded Social Media Shots Over the Fourth of July

The Brandon Aiyuk trade saga just got a whole lot weirder. And it now involves the guy who might be his quarterback next season.

Aiyuk and Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels spent the Fourth of July going back and forth on Instagram. The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala broke down the whole timeline Saturday night. It started with a 49ers fan who caught up with Daniels at a World Cup match and yelled something pretty specific at him.

“Hey, Jayden Daniels. F— Brandon Aiyuk! F— Brandon Aiyuk! You better not throw s— to him next year. I’m a Niner fan. F— Brandon Aiyuk!”

Daniels just laughed it off. That clip went viral. And Aiyuk apparently did not think it was funny at all.

Aiyuk unfollowed Daniels on the holiday

On July 4, Aiyuk unfollowed Daniels on Instagram and posted a reply aimed at the rookie. “Tf always so funny lil n****. Turn your savage up,” he wrote.

The clear subtext: Aiyuk wanted his former Arizona State teammate to stand up for him. Instead, Daniels just laughed while a random fan cursed him out in public.

Daniels didn’t stay quiet for long. He fired back with a meme of Kevin Durant doing his signature thumbs down. He also unfollowed Aiyuk.

Then Aiyuk threw up what looked like an olive branch. He posted a photo of himself wearing a Commanders hat and holding up cleats with the caption: “Let’s run it 5! Let’s see! Need you available all szn and I’ll do the same!”

So are they actually beefing? Hard to say. The two are famously close from their college days at Arizona State. And Aiyuk has been very public about wanting out of San Francisco with Washington as his preferred destination.

What’s clear is this thing isn’t dying down anytime soon. Aiyuk has been trying to force a trade to the Commanders for months now. The 49ers have been unwilling to move him so far. But with each new twist — including a social media spat with the guy who’d be throwing him the ball — the situation gets louder.

Whether Aiyuk actually ends up in Washington before the 2026 season is anyone’s guess. But the drama is definitely not over.