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"I will be back here," San Francisco 49ers tight end
George Kittle said in the closing moments of Super Bowl LIV. "
I will be back here, and I will be back with a motherf---ing vengeance."
Now, a return to the Super Bowl is within reach, and the 49ers don't want to waste the opportunity. It took a lot to get to this point. In the regular-season finale, they had to mount a comeback and overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams just to make the playoffs. Then they had to win postseason road games against the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, two favored division winners.
The 49ers face the Rams for the third time this season and know what a win means—a chance to avenge that Super Bowl loss two years ago.
"It was really tough to lose that, especially with the team we had," defensive end
Nick Bosa told reporters on Thursday, admitting the Super Bowl defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs still motivates the team. "And now, it's becoming extremely real that we can be there again."
49ers kicker Robbie Gould remembers watching his teammate, Kittle, in those closing moments.
"
I think the team's really hungry based on what had happened the last time we were in a Super Bowl, and we're back in a situation where we can make that," Gould said on Wednesday. "I'll tell you the thing I remember the most from watching the game and hearing it was George Kittle saying we were going to be back and back with a vengeance, right? So that's something that's always stuck in my mind since we lost to Kansas City."
Kittle isn't constantly thinking about the words every waking second. However, being in the playoffs is a reminder of the thoughts going through his head in those closing moments of the Super Bowl defeat.
"I said those words because I believe in the fact, I believe in myself, and I believe in this football team, that we have an opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl," Kittle said on Thursday. "I believe in our coaching staff. It's a fantastic team, a great organization, a great owner. And I just believe in our ability to win games, and win tough games, win gritty games, to win blowout games, to bounce back from injuries, bounce back from losses, fight through adversity. And that's what this team, what this organization has done.
"But I said those words because I actually believe those words, and we're on the doorstep, and this whole season actually means nothing unless we get this win. That's all we're focused on, is getting this win and giving ourselves an opportunity to go back down to L.A. again and play in another game."
Kyle Shanahan has now lost two Super Bowls—one as an offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons and another as the 49ers head coach. That last one was tough to swallow because he believes his 2019 squad was the best team in football that season.
"Just like anybody, when you have big moments in your life, whether it's really good or really bad, those are things that you think about from time to time," Shanahan admitted on Thursday. "I was pretty committed when I got in this profession, doing everything you can to have an opportunity to someday win a Super Bowl.
"Losing those, it's hard to say it makes it stronger because I feel like that's how I started off. But you know how hard it is to get there. I think that's the biggest thing, how hard it is to get there. And you just want an opportunity to get there again because you feel, if you can get there, you can do it. But I know the road that it takes to get there, and it's not easy, and you're looking every second you can to get that opportunity again."
For Shanahan and the 49ers, nothing changes this week in their preparation. Yes, the stakes are higher, but the Rams are just another opponent, and this team has been playing must-win football since November.
Bosa added, "Nothing really changes through the year in your preparation, but it just becomes more real the more wins you get."
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh claims to have recently spoken to Brandon Aiyuk, stating that the star player has no desire to leave the San Francisco 49ers.
Aiyuk and the 49ers are currently negotiating a contract extension, aiming to finalize a new deal. Of course, that hasn't prevented significant media speculation surrounding Aiyuk's future, with many wondering if the delay might hint at a potential trade.
Well-informed 49ers fans know that the team typically finalizes its significant contract extensions closer to training camp, as seen with George Kittle in 2020, Fred Warner in 2021, and Deebo Samuel in 2022. Last year, negotiations with Nick Bosa concluded just days before Week
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
