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Peter Schrager, Kyle Brandt, and Nate Burleson of
Good Morning Football each made their NFC playoff predictions on Tuesday. Only one of them — Schrager — had the San Francisco 49ers making the playoffs.
You read that right. I'm not talking about winning the NFC West. Two of the three didn't even have Kyle Shanahan's squad playing in the postseason.
Now, there's your hot take for the day.
The 49ers are the defending NFC champions and are coming off of a Super Bowl appearance. Schrager recently called San Francisco
one of the most disrespected conference champions in recent memory.
Schrager has two NFC West teams — the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals — getting into the playoffs as Wildcards. Surprisingly, that means having the New Orleans Saints, a team many consider among the favorites in the NFC, sitting at home and watching the postseason on TV.
Schrager's division winners: 49ers, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Packers
Schrager's Wildcards: Rams, Cardinals, Lions
Brandt has the Rams actually winning the NFC West. Yes, that may sound like another hot take to many fans given most who look past the Niners pick the Seattle Seahawks to win the NFC West.
"Everybody just forgot about (Sean) McVay," said Brandt in his defense of picking the Rams as division winners.
Brandt's division winners: Rams, Vikings, Eagles, Buccaneers
Brandt's Wildcards: Giants, Cowboys, Bears
Burleson also has San Francisco missing the playoffs, naming the Seahawks as the winners out of the NFC West.
"That Super Bowl-loss hangover is real," Burleson explained, "before you jump down my throat or hit me with the Twitter fingers. A couple of years ago, the Rams went to the Super Bowl, and they lost. The year after, they were sitting back, watching the playoffs from the couch like we were.
"It's tough to get to a Super Bowl. When you lose in a Super Bowl, it's even harder to get back in the playoffs the following year. I believe they have a really big hill to climb this season."
Burleson's division winners: Seahawks, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Packers
Burleson's Wildcards: Eagles, Saints, Vikings
Despite initial reports, two draft prospects who were set to visit the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately did not meet with the team. Matt Barrows of The Athletic revealed that former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice and former Oregon safety Jamal Hill didn't end up visiting the Bay Area organization.
Barrows wrote, "Meanwhile, a report in March indicated that USC receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, would visit the 49ers, but he didn't end up coming, according to two league sources."
Justin Melo of The Draft Network first
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
