San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk's latest Instagram antics raise questions as the NFL's trade season approaches
The San Francisco 49ers truly cannot catch a break. After an offseason of major decisions, Kyle Shanahan has navigated an incredibly banged up roster to a 4-2 record after six games. They just lost superstar linebacker Fred Warner to a season-ending ankle injury, too.
Now, there is more potential drama brewing with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. This latest update stems from some social media activity during the offseason that made plenty of 49ers fans nervous at the time.
Brandon Aiyuk unfollows 49ers and deletes posts mentioning team
NBC Sports has relayed that the 49ers wide receiver has been active on social media in a way that the franchise probably would not prefer recently. He's unfollowed the team on his Instagram account, and that isn't the first time this has occurred.
"The star wideout deleted all evidence of the 49ers from his Instagram account and has unfollowed the team. This is not a new phenomenon. Aiyuk has unfollowed the franchise before — during his hold-in while undergoing contract negotiations last summer.
Up until approximately two weeks ago, Aiyuk had been very visible during practice, running alongside his fellow receivers during the open portion of practice. Aiyuk's speed and agility during those sessions gave the impression that a return from a devastating knee injury could be soon." -- NBC Sports
I talked to A to Z's own Rob Gregson about the Aiyuk situation and where San Francisco can turn if they want to deal him at the trade deadline. Here's a hint: That won't be easy.
"If you do recall, the whole saga that was the Brandon Aiyuk contract negotiation in San Francisco began after some cryptic messaging following the Super Bowl loss, where he was rarely used. That parlayed into a ton of little hints and comments and even straight-up posts about how much he liked Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, with Tomlin playing into the antics.
Ultimately, the 49ers signed Aiyuk, but in hindsight, they likely wish he were a Steeler. Having yet to live up to the contract, whether it was before the injury or now as he rehabs, you have to wonder if everyone would like a reset. The problem is, not only are you trading for a diminished asset due to injury, but Aiyuk is expensive. So even if he does want out, San Francisco will have a hard time finding a buyer." --
This is one of those situations that gets a bit odd for both sides. Does Aiyuk want to remain in San Francisco? Maybe - but why make this subtle but strong move on socials? That action doesn't line up with that belief.
On the flip side, the team is backed into a corner due to paying up when plenty of people felt confident that Aiyuk deserved a new contract. We'll see how it plays out for the 49ers and their wideout.
Turnovers Sink Bruins in 4–3 Loss to Lightning Despite Depth Scoring and Faceoff Dominance
The Boston Bruins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Monday matinee game at the TD Garden in Boston. The Lightning got out to a sizable early lead, and while the Bruins were able to pull within one, their early deficit proved insurmountable, as the Lightning took the game by a score of 4-3. Let’s take a look at a few takeaways from the contest.
Early Miscues Prove Costly
Over the course of the first half of the game, the Bruins made several miscues that the Lightning were able to capitalize on. Each of the first three goals came off of Bruins turnovers in their defensive zone, all of which led to layups for the visiting team. These miscues resulted in the Lightning taking a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and after the Bruins were able to get one back, a 4-1 lead shortly after.
Careless errors were a recurring issue for the Bruins a season ago, and while they played a pretty clean brand of hockey over the course of the first three games of the season, it will be important for them to address these mistakes before they become a recurring issue. These errors and the early deficit that resulted from them took away from a very solid offensive performance up and down the lineup.
Depth Contributions
One item circled on the Bruins’ list of needs in 2025-26 was offensive contributions from depth pieces, and through four games, they have looked promising on this front. Defenseman Jordan Harris found the back of the net for the Bruins’ second goal of the day on a transition shot assisted by David Pastrnak. This goal made Harris the Bruins’ tenth different player to score through four games, an encouraging sign for a team that struggled to find offensive production outside of that from Morgan Geekie and Pastrnak a season ago.
On top of the goal from Harris, Casey Mittelstadt was able to find the back of the net in the second period as well for his second goal of the campaign. This goal was assisted by offseason acquisition Viktor Arvidsson and accounted for his first point of the season. Arvidsson getting on the board made him the 15th member of the Bruins roster to record a point through these four games, another impressive number indicative of a team that has received offensive contributions from throughout their lineup.
Faceoff Dominance
One other bright spot for the Bruins was their performance in the faceoff circle. Entering the day, they had won 54% of their faceoffs on the season, good for tenth in the NHL thus far. They improved on that number against the Lightning, winning 41 out of 60 faceoffs throughout the contest, good for a 68% win rate. Winning in this category translated into opportunities for the black and gold, which was promising to see–Geekie’s goal to cut the Lightning lead to one came on a wrist shot off the draw. For a team that will need to find offense wherever they can, continued dominance in the faceoff circle would be an encouraging sight for the Bruins.
A First Loss
Despite the outcome, the Bruins showed some positive signs in their first loss of the young campaign. They were dominant in the faceoff circle and continued to receive contributions from players not named Pastrnak or Geekie. Joonas Korpisalo did not have a pretty game on paper; however, he came up with a few key saves on high-danger chances that kept the Bruins in the game. The Bruins will look to cut out the careless mistakes that cost them against the Lightning and build on a strong start to the season as they head to the West Coast for their first extended road trip of the new campaign.
