San Francisco

49ers

It’s not expected to be a serious absence for Pearsall as he participated in a non-contact jersey in the spring. The rookie first-round pick is expected to mix into the wideout rotation with the Brandon Aiyuk contract saga ongoing. Rookies have reported to 49ers camp and while Pearsall is on the injury list to start, fellow rookie wideout Jacob Cowing will get some looks to start.

Aiyuk and the 49ers haven’t been able to reach a deal so this comes as no surprise. Despite the two sides coming together recently in efforts to work something out, no deal could be reached so Aiyuk has “respectfully” asked to be moved. Coming off an All-Pro season, Aiyuk is looking to cash in as one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. Things could get sticky as he’s still under contract for 2024. Nonetheless, Aiyuk has certainly made a name for himself in the league.

It was announced earlier this month that Gipson would serve a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy. The veteran safety released a statement on Monday saying he took a substance on one occasion, which he “thought to be completely safe and well within any of the NFL’s policies.” But also added that he takes “full responsibility” for anything he puts into his body and will accept the suspension. Gipson, who spent the last two seasons with the 49ers, said he looks forward to returning for a 13th season after serving his suspension. Gipson started all 33 games he appeared in with the 49ers and can still provide valuable depth and starting to any secondary in need of help on the back end.

The updates continue as Aiyuk and the 49ers are reportedly not nearing a deal after the two sides met last week. However, Garafolo (via NBC Sports Bay Area) also added a trade has “never been something that [Aiyuk] has explored.” While a new deal does not yet seem imminent, it seems Aiyuk is not demanding out. There is still time for a deal to get done, but for now there is only speculation on when Aiyuk will get a new contract.

Barrows pointed to the team’s investment at wideout — including a potential long-term deal with Brandon Aiyuk — and the drafting of Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft as reasons why the traditionally run-first Kyle Shanahan might lean more toward the pass this season. The team’s postseason run-pass splits, Barrows said, could be instructive for how the Brock Purdy-run offense might operate in 2024. The 49ers “called 109 pass plays and only 77 run plays (non-designed Purdy scrambles are counted as called pass plays) over those three games, a drastic departure from their run-forward ratio of the past,” Barrows said. “Given coach Kyle Shanahan’s trust in Purdy, the investment in the receiving room makes a lot of sense.” In 2023, the Niners had a 56 percent neutral pass rate, the 11th lowest in the NFL. They passed on 60 percent of their plays while trailing last season. An increase in Purdy drop backs would change the prospects for every San Francisco pass catcher in 2024.

This comes after Aiyuk was spotted by TMZ Sports at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday. While we wouldn’t read too much into this, we know Aiyuk has attempted to reach an extension with the 49ers this offseason, and he said earlier on The Pivot podcast that he thinks he will play “a Niner uniform” in 2024 if he “were to take a guess.” The offseason saga between Aiyuk and the 49ers continues to be the biggest one in the league as teams prepare for training camp next month. After the star receiver opted to skip OTAs and minicamp this offseason, it’s possible he’ll become a training camp holdout if an extension isn’t reached by the time players report.

Shanahan added that the team has “guys that can run the ball” and noted that while McCaffery has proven capable of handling 20-plus carries a game, at some point, the team would “like to take some of that off of him and give [the ball] to other guys also. McCaffery signed a two-year extension with the 49ers in early June after rushing for 272-1,459-14 while adding another 67-564-7 through the air. The 28-year-old running back played in 10 of a possible 33 games from 2020-2021 but has played in all but one regular season contest over the last two years. A potential decline in touches for a back who led the league with 339 touches in 2023 is worrisome for fantasy managers, but McCaffrey’s efficiency and pass-catching upside will always keep his ceiling high. We’d also expect him to remain the preferred back near the goal line and high-value areas of the field. Fantasy managers should still feel comfortable taking him at the top of drafts this season.

Aiyuk also added that he would be open to going to the Commanders and playing with his close friend Jayden Daniels if the negotiations with the 49ers don’t go as he hopes. The fifth-year receiver is hoping to land a long-term extension with the 49ers before the start of the season but is willing to sign an extension elsewhere if the 49ers were to trade him. Aiyuk totaled 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season and is reportedly eyeing a deal similar to the one Amon-Ra St. Brown received earlier this offseason. St. Brown will earn nearly $28 million on his new deal with the Lions, putting him amongst the highest-paid receivers in the league. Barring a surprise trade, it sounds like Aiyuk will play at least one more season with the 49ers as they look to capitalize on their current Super Bowl window. Lombardi also pointed out that if Aiyuk were to be traded, it would be to a destination determined by the 49ers, not Aiyuk.

According to Clark, this is a meeting Aiyuk requested with the team. He also added that Aiyuk has taken contract negotiations with the team as “personal” over the last several months. Aiyuk posted a video to his social media account last week of him telling Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that the 49ers “said they don’t want me anymore.” The team somewhat refuted this when it was reported they still wanted Aiyuk, but not at the price he is asking for. At this time, Aiyuk is set to play out 2024 under the franchise tag, where he’ll earn roughly $14 million. The veteran receiver caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season and could likely get signed to his desired contract by another team if the 49ers were open to dealing him. Clark said Aiyuk would prefer to remain with the team but is open to playing elsewhere if the team opts to trade him. We expect to know more about this situation in the near future.

The observation comes near the end of a glowing article on Guerendo’s potential, but it probably is the most realistic outcome for 2024. Although he’s drawn Jonathan Taylor comparisons, Guerendo never handled more than 132 carries during a marathon college career that frequently saw him battle injury, particularly to his hamstrings. Of course, Guerendo’s primary competition for No. 2 duties is Elijah Mitchell, who is maybe the most “injury prone” back in the NFL. Guerendo’s standalone rookie ceiling is change-of-pace work behind Christian McCaffrey, but he can’t completely be ruled out in the battle for No. 2 duties. That’s a valuable place to be in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.