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stopped by
95.7 The Game to talk some San Francisco 49ers football as well as promote his
Safe Coverage Foundation, which he founded in 2010.
In regards to the 49ers, he talked about new head coach Chip Kelly and what he has learned that he may not have known before. "You hear a lot of things before you meet somebody, but since he's been here, Chip man, I would say, player friendly coach. He's very on point with everything, very organized. Just a good teacher. I think he's a great leader for the team," answered Bethea.
"We're going to be very aggressive. Letting our guys up front rush the quarterback," Bethea said of the 49ers defense in 2016. "As far as the safeties, it's going to give us the ability to make a lot of plays, so I'm excited about that. And then our corners, they're going to make their money. A lot of man-to-man and being able to put them in position so they can make plays as well."
Bethea stated that, with a lot of youngsters on the team, he is embracing the leadership role both on and off the field. "At the end of the day, I always tell the younger guys, 'Just pay it forward.' Somebody did it for me, so I'm doing it for somebody else," said Bethea.
When asked about Kelly's fast tempo offense and the type of strain that it may put on a defense, Bethea stated that as an athlete at the highest level, you have to be in share no matter the system. "That's more opportunities for you to make plays," he said of a defense that is on the field more.
While speaking about the 49ers offense, he noted that
RB Carlos Hyde is looking good health-wise. "In Chip Kelly's offense, I think he could really have a breakout year this year. Obviously last year, he started the season off strong. Injuries kind of happened, but I think he'd going to have a good year this year running the rock, catching the ball out of the backfield, whatever they need him to do," said Bethea.
When asked about the quarterback competition in Santa Clara, a popular topic this offseason, Bethea stated that it was good for the team and that both
Colin Kaepernick and
Blaine Gabbert have done good things. "Whoever is leading us that first game, we're going to be behind him 110 percent and we'll go from there," said Bethea.
You can listen to the
entire interview here on 95.7 The Game.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
