One veteran reporter found a cheeky way to get the Washington Commanders to talk about Brandon Aiyuk.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn held a press conference Tuesday to mark the start of the team’s training camp. Arguably the most interesting question fielded to the duo was a supposed hypothetical tossed out by NBC Sports reporter JP Finlay.
Finlay asked a “general” question, but everyone in the room, including the Peters and Quinn, knew he was referring to Aiyuk.
Reporter: “Just in a general sense, as you’re always looking into improving the team, when you’re evaluating guys to maybe bring in for workouts, what role, if any, does a player’s social media have in that evaluation process?”
The inquiry got a chuckle out of both Peters and Quinn, who called Finlay a “straight bada–” for concocting it. The Commanders GM appeared to appreciate it so much that he actually gave Finlay a real answer.
This was a fun moment but I do appreciate AP giving a real answer pic.twitter.com/tGV9zVMR46
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) July 28, 2026
Peters: “That’s a good, roundabout question. We look at everything, JP. It’s a great question. We do 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.”
Peters admitted that social media has never been the first thing the team assesses when evaluating potential roster additions. While the Commanders do look into a player’s online activity, he noted that game tape and first-hand assessments from former teammates and coaches matter much more.
Commanders franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels was notably teammates with Aiyuk at Arizona State. While Aiyuk’s social media activity pointed to him teaming up with Daniels again in D.C., reports indicated that the Commanders eventually soured on the talented wideout.
The fact that Aiyuk was sending Daniels deranged messages on Instagram didn’t help his chances of landing a contract.
