Seattle Seahawks fullback Kyle Juszczyk? That is probably the last thing San Francisco 49ers fans want to see for the fan-favorite offensive weapon. Juszczyk is headed into free agency next month unless the 49ers can work out a deal before then.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is a fan of Juszczyk.
"He does everything. He is a great player," Carroll said before facing the 49ers during Week 17. "He is as meaningful a part of an offense as any player in the NFL. … He can play tight end. He can play out of the backfield. He can lead on all the blocking principles that they have. He can carry the football. He's good in the red zone. He's good in short yardage. He's just a great football player."
Juszczyk joined the Haberman and Middlekauff podcast this week and was asked about Carroll's praise while John Middlekauff hinted that the Seahawks might be a good fit for him. The fullback remembers visiting with Seattle before the 2013 draft.
"I had a really good time there, and I really enjoyed Pete as a coach, and just how relatable he is, for being an older guy," said Juszczyk. "He was very relatable to players, just kind of an easy guy to talk to, and I had a good experience with him.
"So, I have a ton of respect for Pete on that personal level. And then also, the Seahawks, we know, as Niners guys, that year in and year out, Seattle's going to put a legit squad out there. A ton of respect for him."
The 49ers probably want to avoid losing their Pro Bowl fullback. They certainly don't want to lose him to a division rival.
Juszczyk was also asked about several of his 49ers teammates and praised each of them. One of those players is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a rookie this past season.
"I love Brandon," said Juszczyk. "I have a special relationship with Brandon because he has a locker right next to me. We pulled our hamstring(s) the same day in training camp, so we literally went through the same rehab. We were with each other every single day, so I feel like I got a good inside look at Brandon and just kind of how he ticks.
"This is a guy that just wants to be great so bad. He wants to put in that work. He wants to grind. He just wants to do it. It's not something that he's being forced to (do) or feels obligated. 'I was a first-round pick. I've got to live up to these expectations.' No, this was in him. No matter what, this guy was going to want to be successful."
Juszczyk adds that Aiyuk might benefit from a veteran presence in the wide receiver room, much like Deebo Samuel benefited from working with Emmanuel Sanders for part of the 2019 season.
"He just needs that mentor, that veteran receiver to show him exactly how it's done," said Juszczyk, "because if he sees it, he's going to emulate it and put his own style on it. He's just going to be great because he wants it so bad."
You can watch the entire interview with Juszczyk below.
"I'm going to support whoever's under center": Kyle Juszczyk discusses 49ers' draft trade for a QB
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Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be the quarterback under center when the San Francisco 49ers kick off Week 1 of the 2021 regular season. Down the road? Who knows. Garoppolo's future with the team became more uncertain when general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan traded up from the No. 12 spot to No. 3 overall in this year's NFL Draft.
It is widely believed the move was made for a quarterback. San Francisco will be left with some good options despite two passers being expected to come off the draft board in the top two slots.
Juszczyk, like so many of his teammates, has always supported Garoppolo and defended his quarterback against skeptics. He fully expected San Francisco to push forward with the 29-year-old passer who owns a record of 26-9 as an
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In fact, the 49ers' offensive weapon expects big things in 2021 for his running back teammate. Much of that has to do with play-caller Kyle Shanahan and how the head coach takes advantage of each player's strengths. Juszczyk used wide receiver Deebo Samuel as an example. In each game, Shanahan installs two or three plays that can take advantage of the young wideout's physicality.
"He knows that he just needs to get
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Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones.
One of those quarterbacks is likely to be part of the San Francisco 49ers roster following the draft. Jimmy Garoppolo has been part of the roster since a mid-season trade in 2017 sent him from Foxborough to Santa Clara, where he is expected to remain for at least the upcoming season.
Some wonder if plans could change, though.
There were reports that the 49ers seek a first-round pick for Garoppolo. Most who have been following the team know that basically means San Francisco has no intention — for now — of trading its veteran quarterback and would have to be blown away by an offer to consider deviating from its plan. That plan is to have Garoppolo serve as a bridge quarterback, allowing the
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Mike McDaniel started working with Kyle Shanahan with the Houston Texans. He is one of the San Francisco 49ers head coach's most trusted assistants, serving as the team's run-game coordinator during his first four seasons in Santa Clara. In January, McDaniel was promoted to offensive coordinator, becoming the first coach under Shanahan to hold that title.
"Immediately, you're trying to prove your worth and prove the people right that have really invested in you and invested in your career, and given you opportunities, and et cetera, et cetera," McDaniel recently told 49ers.com reporter Keiana Martin. "It instills a level of hunger on top of the hunger that you already had."
After McDaniel
