SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk is one of the NFL's highest-paid wide receivers, but he still puts on his shorts one leg at a time.
That was not an issue on Friday for 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
However, the color of Aiyuk’s shorts appeared to annoy Shanahan as the team hit the practice field in preparation of their Week 4 game against the New England Patriots.
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Aiyuk came out to practice wearing baggy red shorts while all of his teammates were outfitted in black shorts. When asked if Aiyuk wore the wrong shorts, Shanahan answered, “Yeah, he did. Good question.”
Kyle Shanahan confirmed Brandon Aiyuk wore the wrong shorts to practice today 😅 pic.twitter.com/MgDjmKxOYV
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 27, 2024
After Shanahan appeared to admonish Aiyuk, the fifth-year wide receiver moved to the side of the field. He took off both shoes — a superfluous move considering the oversized nature of his shorts.
While his teammates were going through warmup drills nearby, Aiyuk removed his red shorts. Thankfully, he was wearing black tights underneath (after all, this story is G-rated).
San Francisco 49ers
Then, Aiyuk appeared to show some frustration as he tried to kick away the shorts with his right foot. He whiffed on the kick, proving he is not a threat to take Jake Moody’s job.
Here’s 90 seconds including Aiyuk’s reaction/tantrum. pic.twitter.com/PIIvwPLp5w
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) September 27, 2024
Aiyuk put on black shorts to fit the team’s dress code for the day, and presumably the practice -- a shortened practice, fittingly -- continued.
When asked if being outfitted in the wrong-color shorts is a punishable offense, Shanahan said, “No. I wish I could wear different shorts.”
That’s the news -- the long and shorts of it -- from another interesting day in 49ersland.
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