San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has seemingly made light of head coach Kyle Shanahan's recent car crash, posting a series of messages on Instagram that have been interpreted as mocking the incident. The posts come amid Aiyuk's ongoing pursuit of a trade away from the team and a period of controversial behavior on social media.
Shanahan was involved in a serious car crash on July 14 in Northern California, sustaining multiple injuries including a broken nose, three fractured ribs, a broken hand, and a severe concussion requiring over 40 stitches to his face. The coach admitted to reporters that he was at fault, explaining that he briefly took his eyes off the road to retrieve a dropped cell phone.
Aiyuk responded to Shanahan's admission with two Instagram stories. The first read: "You can't win the race if you crash out." He followed it with another post stating: "Keep yo head up and stay in yo own lane. You gone win."
Aiyuk has been at odds with the 49ers organization for some time, having recently gone AWOL and expressed a desire to be traded. He has also fired his long-time agent and publicly stated his intention to "tank his own career." These actions, coupled with other online activity, have raised concerns about his commitment and behavior.
Earlier in July, Aiyuk faced criticism for a video that appeared to show him feeding raw chicken to his dogs and then kicking one of them. He also had an arrest warrant issued for a December incident involving alleged excessive speeding.
Further fueling speculation about his dissatisfaction, Aiyuk recently accused the NFL Players Association of initiating a "smear campaign" against him after he chose not to appeal the voiding of certain contract guarantees by the 49ers. He detailed an alleged conversation where he claims the NFLPA threatened to tarnish his reputation if he did not pursue the appeal.
Despite Aiyuk's actions, 49ers general manager John Lynch has indicated that the team expects Shanahan to recover in time to coach the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on September 10 in Melbourne. Aiyuk, however, is not expected to be with the team for that game as he continues to make himself a less appealing prospect for potential NFL suitors.
Aiyuk, a third-round pick in 2020, signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension in 2024 but subsequently tore his ACL and MCL, missing the entire 2025 season. He has since requested a trade, but no deal has materialized.