Brandon Aiyuk posted an Instagram story this week, adding the latest chapter in his quest to woo the Washington Commanders. He dropped a Father’s Day greeting, followed by “Go Commanders! Go Commanders, man!” Former NFL running back LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy saw that clip and came away impressed with how Aiyuk is battling his team, the San Francisco 49ers.

“He’s become my favorite wide receiver,” McCoy said on the Speakeasy podcast. “It’s time to fight back. Don’t let these ownerships just try to own you. Them days is over with. So if you want to move and go to a different team, why not?”

“Let’s go Commanders! I like it,” McCoy went on. “It’s because things didn’t work out in San Francisco. Really good coach, really good organization, but it didn’t work out. So let me leave. He lost money – he didn’t make money he’s supposed to make cause whatever happened.”

Brandon Aiyuk has been running a one-man press campaign for weeks now. On June 7, he compared the 49ers to a kid taking his ball home. Two days later, he called them “mad” and “stupid”. Then came Aiyuk’s Instagram selfie wearing a Commanders hat, and a cryptic dance video captioned “coming to an end zone near you.” The Father’s Day “Go Commanders” story is just the latest beat in a saga going back to 2024.

Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in ‘24 and didn’t rehab with the team. In November 2025, the Niners voided the 2026 guarantees in his contract. He never played a snap last season, and out of his four-year, $120M extension – signed after a prolonged standoff in 2024 – he has already made $48.15M. The rest of it has vanished, and the only way he will get paid by the Niners this year is if he shows up at the facility.

As for McCoy, his support isn’t new. Earlier this month, on another edition of Speakeasy, McCoy noted that the Niners hold “all the leverage” with Aiyuk’s contract. He even urged the Niners to “put the egos aside, work something out, and get moving.” But for Aiyuk to leave, the only option is for him to be released from San Francisco because, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, a trade might be off the table at this point.

“Whoever gets involved, they’re probably not going to trade for him,” Fowler said. “They’re going to wait for him to get released, and then he’s not going to have the market he had a couple of years ago, but he could still bring value as a former top-10 receiver.”

As for his next destination, the Washington Commanders makes a lot of sense even beyond Aiyuk’s social media campaign. He shared a locker room with QB Jayden Daniels when they played at Arizona State. Washington’s GM, Adam Peters, played a part in drafting Aiyuk when he was VP of Player Personnel in San Francisco. Beyond this, Washington also needs weapons behind Terry McLaurin. In 2023 – Aiyuk’s last full year – he caught 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven scores.

The biggest question is whether Aiyuk can still play like before, and whether Washington wants a receiver who hasn’t played since Week 7 of the 2024 season. And despite all the questions, LeSean McCoy believes Aiyuk’s on the right track, and must have his reasons to want out.

“So what I’m saying is he is that focused on throwing shots at the Niners to go to Washington to play, he must [have had] something that happened to him, that, for him, it’s a big reason why I’m leaving,” McCoy said. “So, I don’t mind it. And the way he might go about it might be different than the way we might go about it.

McCoy’s point cuts through all the noise around Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers have the contract, the ticking clock, and all the leverage in the world. Aiyuk had to choose social media for his outlet because that’s the only leverage he’s got.