San Francisco 49ers fans and beat writers have followed every move — both minor or major — from Brandon Aiyuk since the end of last season.
Aiyuk made the rounds online after his girlfriend went on rants on social media, with some even speculating he would be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders next season.
The wide receiver continued to stir the pot by tweeting at Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin.
The Niners, however, remained unwavering, and they didn’t hesitate to pick up his fifth-year option.
So, now that he’s apparently unfollowed the team on social media, NFL insider Jonathan Jones wanted to make one thing loud and clear: It means absolutely nothing.
The least interesting sports storyline is when a player follows or unfollows a team account or removes mention of the team from the bio. A team doesn’t lose a wink of sleep. And if you think it means anything for the player, you haven’t met this new generation of young adults.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) April 13, 2024
Jones stated that it doesn’t matter if a player starts following or unfollowing a team or a player on social media or removes the team from their social media profile; it’s simply meaningless.
He has a valid point.
We’ve seen that tactic over and over in the past couple of years, and more often than not, the player winds up staying with the organization.
The players try to use their social media profiles for leverage but in most cases, the team has the final say on their future.
This is the case with Aiyuk.
He might not want to sign a contract extension but at the end of the day, it’ll be up to the Niners to trade him or not.
And, for the time being, it doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere.
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49ers Star Has Unfollowed The Team On Social Media
