Adam Peters' subtle Brandon Aiyuk message could not have been clearer

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters was probably expecting a question about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during his pre-training camp media availability. It came very indirectly, which also provided useful insight into what the front-office leader is thinking.

JP Finlay of NBC Sports didn't mention Aiyuk's name directly. Instead, he asked Peters how important someone's social media activity is during their evaluation process. It got a lot of laughs in the room, and it was a masterful way to go about the probe, but it also came with the clearest sign yet that the wideout's behavior on Instagram is not going unnoticed.

"We look at everything. We want to make sure it's the right player to be in our locker room, in our bloodstream, and in our culture. We look at that stuff. Obviously, it's not the first thing we look at. You look at the tape, and you talk to the teams the players have been on, and how they were in the locker room. The players that have played with them to make those decisions."

Commanders drop the clearest sign yet over their Brandon Aiyuk stance

There are other factors that carry more weight in typical cases. But then, Peters came up with the line that changed everything.

"That's not usually a huge part of it... Usually."

Usually.

That is the key word here. And it lends a lot of weight to the fact that Aiyuk is not being considered by the Commanders as a legitimate option when he is eventually released by the San Francisco 49ers.

Aiyuk should have stayed quiet, worked hard behind the scenes, and properly applied for reinstatement. Instead, he took shots at everyone on social media, failed to hold himself accountable, and made some extremely poor decisions along the way.

The tide has turned. Washington fans were largely on board with giving Aiyuk a shot earlier in the offseason. The Commanders were reportedly interested, but they wouldn't be trading for the player. Now, the prospect of getting his wish to join Washington is a long shot at best.

The Commanders value character highly. They don't want any unnecessary distractions, and the strong locker room culture is firmly established. Aiyuk is a problem they probably don't need, and taking a swipe at quarterback Jayden Daniels on social media was enough to turn people off.

Aiyuk is on the left squad list, and the Niners plan to keep it that way. He's out of sight, out of mind, which is leading to pouring out his frustration through other means. Peters doesn't miss much, but it does seem as if this ship has sailed.

Nothing should be completely ruled out, of course. The Commanders could have a change of heart, and Aiyuk might get an epiphany to finally go about his business the right way in pursuit of securing another NFL opportunity.

Just don't bet on it.

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