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Kay Adams asked her
Good Morning Football co-hosts which of February's Super Bowl LIV participants is
most likely to return to the big game. Will it be the champion Kansas City Chiefs or the runner-up San Francisco 49ers?
Running back Raheem Mostert sounded confident on Wednesday that it would be his 49ers. Not only did he predict a return trip to Florida, he expects his squad to walk away with the Lombardi Trophy this time.
"I feel like we're going to be back this year,"
Mostert said, "and we're actually going to win it. That's our goal; that's our mindset. We don't care what happened in the past. The past is the past, and we're going to move on, and we're going to dominate this game the way we know how to."
Two of Adams' three co-hosts picked the defending champs, though.
First, let's take a look at the two who picked the Chiefs over the 49ers. Peter Schrager credits each team's ability to keep its coaching staff mostly intact. But he notes that it is much tougher to lose the Super Bowl and get back.
"I love Raheem Mostert, but he's got to look around his running backs room and say, 'Ok, well, Matt Breida's not there anymore. I'm not sure what else we've got. Joe Staley (is) not protecting that side anymore.'"
It is worth noting that the 49ers replaced Staley, who retired in April, with seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle
Trent Williams.
"He'll look across at the defensive line," Schrager continued, "'I like Javon Kinlaw, but that's not DeForest Buckner, who we had last year.' I am not sure that the Niners are even the favorites in the NFC right now."
Kyle Brandt took it a step further and said not only is he unsure that San Francisco is the favorite in the NFC, but he's not even sure it is the favorite in the NFC West anymore.
"It's really hard to get back after you lose," Brandt said. "It's especially hard when you're in a division that good."
Nate Burleson, however, did pick the Niners.
"The one thing that you can't game plan for is a dominant defense," explained Burleson. "You might be able to game plan for Pat Mahomes. You might. I know it's a reach, but you might. You can't game plan for getting beat up game in and game out.
"If that defense for San Francisco returns the same way, I'm going with San Fran returning first."
The news of Arik Armstead's departure from the San Francisco 49ers after nine seasons with the team shocked linebacker Fred Warner. Armstead, a former first-round pick, was an impactful force on the football field. However, his availability over the last two seasons forced the 49ers to reevaluate his contract, and when his salary could not be significantly reduced, the two sides parted ways.
"Huge surprise," Warner said of learning that Armstead was being released. "Ever since I've been here, we called him the blueprint for how to be a Niner. That was the longest-tenured Niner that's been here and a guy that's done it right through and through."
Warner has been in the NFL long enough to understand how the league works. Over the years, he's watched several
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
