Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Watch out, NFL. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk has been the star of training camp. If that carries over into the regular season, second-year quarterback Trey Lance will have two player-makers at his disposal at wide receiver in Aiyuk and
Deebo Samuel.
Last offseason, things weren't trending well for Aiyuk. The receiver seemed to be in head coach Kyle Shanahan's dog house and wasn't even a Week 1 starter. He caught just one pass for six yards in the 49ers' first two games.
By the end of the season, though, Aiyuk was showing his potential. He caught six receptions for a season-high 107 yards in the team's Week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Aiyuk spent a lot of time this offseason with his new starting quarterback, Lance. The two worked out together, building chemistry on and off the field.
"This second year, we got to stay in the house together with a couple of other people and just hang out by the fire, talk,
really just get to know who he is," Aiyuk said last month, "and him getting to know who I am outside of playing football because that's really the only time we get to see each other. So being in there a couple of weeks, and working hard, putting in hours, grinding together, and then hanging out, just chilling afterward. It's cool. It's a great thing."
The dog house is a distant memory for Aiyuk. The third-year wideout has emerged as a team leader, improving his efforts and helping mentor the younger players in the receiver room.
"He's developing in all the stuff he needed to do to get better," Shanahan said on Saturday. "He comes off the ball every play. He runs full speed every play. He's not slow playing stuff anymore. He's not sitting there and fighting with guys with his hands. He's doing it with his feet, with his hips, creating edges by running, breaking down."
Aiyuk has been a handful for the 49ers' defensive backs.
Charvarius Ward, the team's big offseason acquisition, praised Aiyuk's competitiveness on the practice field.
"
I love competing against B.A. He's got big hands, long arms, and he can jump like almost 60 inches in the air," Ward said. "He's great to compete against. ... I got big hands. His hands are bigger than mine. B.A. got the potential to be one of those great receivers. He can be a real wide receiver No. 1."
Most expect the 49ers to boast one of the best defenses in the league in 2022. Aiyuk challenging the team's improved defensive backfield bodes well for the 24-year-old receiver.
"If you want to get open in this league, you have to be so violent on how you run and putting your knees into the ground and everything," Shanahan said. "And that's hard on guys a lot. They do that like three days in a row, and sometimes they have to take a week off. That's why it's so crucial how these guys prepare. And it's hard when we're not around him.
"But B.A., he did it all when he was away from us. He did it all throughout OTAs, and his body can handle everything he's doing. And that's why he is getting better right now."
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
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
A questionable rumor surfaced on Wednesday regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers' interest in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein reported that the AFC team was seemingly confident they could pull off a trade for Aiyuk.
However, the credibility of this report comes into question due to the assertion that the Steelers believe they could acquire Aiyuk at a bargain price, possibly in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a late-round selection.
RELATED: Steelers believe they can acquire Aiyuk at a
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy achieved a remarkable feat in 2023, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. This accomplishment is noteworthy, considering the illustrious quarterbacks who have graced the organization's history.
A significant portion of those yards came from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards. Most of his 75 catches originated from passes thrown by Purdy.
Amidst significant offseason chatter surrounding the 49ers' star receiver, including several unsubstantiated trade rumors, Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. Former NFL player James Jones, now an analyst, expressed concern for Purdy should Aiyuk's tenure in the Bay Area come to an end.
"I
