Why did 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk throw a tantrum during practice?

At 1-2 on the season so far, there is good reason for frustration in the Bay Area, but when that feeling gets the better of players such that they have outbursts with their coaches, it can be argued that a line has been crossed. Nonetheless, everything seems to be alright between the 49ers star and his boss and so, on we go.

Brandon Aiyuk did not like Kyle Shanahan’s request

When considering Brandon Aiyuk’s present circumstances, a few things immediately come to mind. For starters, Aiyuk is one of the best wideouts in the Game today so, it’s understandable that he recently received a $120 million extension. That of course brings us to the second fact which is that having been rewarded for his efforts with the aforementioned deal, the Niners star has for the most part been awful for the season so far. With that as context, we come to Aiyuk’s actions on Friday during practice.

According to reports, Aiyuk became enraged on Friday after 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told him to switch to black shorts. To be clear, the 26-year-old eventually changed his pants, however, it was only after having a chat with Shanahan and not without a great deal of reluctance. Now, again, context is key. The sequence of events on Friday came on the back of a rather protracted contract negotiation - it took months - which finally saw Aiyuk get his deal.

Needless to say, there are those who feel the back and forth only took as long as it did because of the difficulty in dealing with Aiyuk. Do recall that the wide receiver publicly opened the door to playing for other teams in the league during negotiations. Indeed, one could make the point that negotiations only advanced when Aiyuk essentially gave an ultimatum such that the Niners finally caved and a deal was put on the table. Of course, when looking at what’s happened since, including Friday’s spat, doubts abound.

Was it the right choice to extend Aiyuk’s contract given what his return on that investment has been since? The answer to that question is perhaps not so black and white, but when one factors in Friday’s dispute with Shanahan, tolerance begins to wear thin. Whatever the case, Aiyuk, and the Niners now face a tough task in Week 4 when they take on the New England Patriots, not because the Pats are a major threat - they are at the bottom of the AFC East - but because not everything is right in San Francisco and a house divided is never a good thing. Watch this space.