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Wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk has caught six-or-more passes for 81-or-more receiving yards in each of his last four games. He's hauled in three touchdown passes in those performances and nearly hauled in a fourth this past Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Aiyuk is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season and believes he is getting more comfortable as the season progresses. That's bad news for opposing defenses.
"Just trying to continue to get better," Aiyuk told reporters after Thursday's practice. "I also feel as if, throughout the games that we've played, I've left a lot of plays out there. So that's my main thing, just trying to capitalize on every single play and every opportunity that I get, and then, hopefully, we'll be in a better spot at that time."
As for leaving plays on the field, one missed opportunity from this past weekend's win over the Chargers left Aiyuk particularly frustrated. The receiver shared his frustrations on social media surrounding the
missed touchdown catch at the goal line.
"On the field, I didn't know they gave me a freebie, wide-open," Aiyuk shared. "So when I saw the film, it was even more sickening. ... It's football. Move on. We've got another chance at it this week, so I'm excited."
Aiyuk finished the game with six receptions for a team-leading 84 yards. In the end, the 49ers won 22-16, improving their record to 5-4 and within reach of overtaking the division-leading Seattle Seahawks.
"Everybody's out there just trying to do what we can, daily, so we can put the best product on the field on Sundays," Aiyuk said. "That's what it's all about now. We feel like we're trying to get in stride, get grooving at this time of the year—November football, leading into December, January, and February."
One teammate who tried to motivate Aiyuk was linebacker
Fred Warner. He was tough on the receiver during training camp. You might remember
the two got into scuffles on the practice field. However, the linebacker has been pleased with Aiyuk's efforts this season.
"Yeah, Brandon, he's coming into his own," Warner said. "He's done an outstanding job for us. Every game, you see him kind of getting closer and closer, just breaking that big one. [QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo] likes him across the middle on those deep crossing routes. He's got to continue to grow, and I think the sky's the limit for him.
"You've seen [him] in practice, making plays, insane catches, and the route-running ability. It's all coming together, for sure."
Does Warner take any credit for the improvement?
"No credit, no. He's done it all on his own," he responded.
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George Kittle made his sentiments clear in a recent conversation about his teammate, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The tight end emphasized that he couldn't picture the San Francisco 49ers without Aiyuk and spoke highly of him in a discussion with Fox News Digital's Scott Thompson.
Throughout the offseason, Kittle has had several conversations with Aiyuk and empathizes with his situation. Reflecting on his own contract negotiation in 2020 before reaching an agreement with the 49ers, Kittle offered his best advice to Aiyuk: "Hey, be patient."
Kittle added, "It's just kind of the way the Niners do things. I didn't
Brandon Aiyuk isn't the only San Francisco 49ers player being mentioned in trade chatter around the NFL. According to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, several teams are also reaching out to inquire about the availability of wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
"In the course of trade conversations about Brandon Aiyuk, numerous teams are inquiring about fellow 49ers WR Deebo Samuel's availability," Silver reports. "The 49ers would likely have to be blown away by the offer to make that move. Fluid situation, though."
In the course of trade conversations about Brandon Aiyuk, numerous teams are inquiring about fellow
NFL insider Ian Rapoport joined NFL Network ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, which kicks off in a couple of hours, and provided an update on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk amid several trade rumors.
"I think it's fair to say the status of Brandon Aiyuk is very firmly up in the air for the San Francisco 49ers," Rapoport stated. "No doubt they're going to have interest from teams potentially trading for Brandon Aiyuk. And we may actually find out tonight because the 49ers have been very clear internally and externally. They would like a first-round pick for such a talented receiver. And the reality is this has been the market."
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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
