The San Francisco 49ers are far enough into training camp that it's almost time for their first preseason game. And still, there's no resolution to the Brandon Aiyuk drama. And nothing new came to light in the Trent Williams holdout either. So the team will move forward without the two All-Pro players. And while both situations will likely be resolved before the regular season begins, there are no guarantees.
We opened the 49ers Webzone Mailbag to see what was on your mind this week, and to no one's surprise, there were some Aiyuk and Williams questions. So let's jump in and look at those and the others.
Where will Aiyuk end up? - Aris A.
That's the 30 million dollar question. The Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots are no longer in the race. Aiyuk doesn't want to play for either team. But a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers is still a viable option.
According to Senior NFL Writer for The Athletic, Dianna Russini, "The 49ers, to this point, haven't been satisfied with the Steelers' offers and would like a receiver in return for Aiyuk as part of a trade, although they are open to players at other positions, league sources said."
The 49ers, to this point, haven't been satisfied with the Steelers' offers and would like a receiver in return for Aiyuk as part of a trade, although they are open to players at other positions, league sources said.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 8, 2024
On Wednesday, Russini reported that the Steelers, "along with other teams, are in communication and STILL negotiating with the 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk. No deal is done, per sources." Who are the other teams? It sounds like the 49ers may be looking to get back a player who can help them in 2024 (as they should), and that Pittsburgh isn't offering any player San Francisco wants. Perhaps the 49ers can find a third team to enter the deal to find that player.
When and how does the Brandon Aiyuk saga end? And will it be a happy ending? - Ed H.
I hope it ends soon. My concern is that it's becoming a distraction in the locker room. There have already been rumors that Kyle Shanahan is frustrated by this. And Aiyuk admitted to enjoying the attention. If Shanahan is frustrated or distracted by it, others likely are.
I've said all offseason that I do not believe the 49ers will trade Aiyuk. It doesn't make sense to do so. They won't be as good in 2024 without him. I'm going to stand by what I've believed and say that Aiyuk will be with the team this season. But I'm not very confident in my prediction.
Regardless, I don't see a happy ending to this. Aiyuk either stays and isn't happy about not being paid. Or the 49ers cave and pay him more than they want. Or Aiyuk is traded, which won't end well for anyone except for the team that lands Aiyuk.
If the Niners trade Aiyuk, is it sneaky smart for them to do this and see how Brock performs with one less guy? You get a nice sample size with less weapons, which is more likely his future in SF. - Nick E.
I'm not sure it's sneaky or smart of the 49ers to trade Aiyuk so they can see how well QB Brock Purdy performs without his favorite target. I doubt they're considering that at all right now. But if they trade Aiyuk, they will get to see how Purdy looks without his All-Pro wide receiver. And perhaps that will help them better understand whether or not Purdy is worthy of the massive contract he's currently on course to receive.
Any end in sight for our holdout situations? Starting to be concerned. - Jonathan P.
It feels like we're getting close to some kind of resolution to the Aiyuk situation. But so far, it's been crickets on the Williams holdout. Let's hope the 49ers and their All-World tackle get things figured out soon.
Without Trent how is the offensive line looking? - Ray W.
Some days they look good and some days they don't. It's safe to say they need Williams. But there have also been a lot of changes to the rest of the offensive line throughout training camp. This is due to injuries and Williams' absence. Offensive lines need time to gel, and with a lot of changes, that can take time.
None of the injuries appear to be major, so they should be getting more consistent looks as we get closer to week one. Williams is the biggest question mark, but there are also questions about what happens at center and right guard.
Dominick Puni has been getting first-team reps at right guard. Would he still be receiving those reps if Spencer Burford wasn't injured? Probably not, but he's looked good in his reps, so he's certainly doing his part to take over that spot.
What do you want to see from the first preseason game? - James N.
The most important thing I want to see is no injuries. The 49ers are already banged up, so we need them to get through this game without any major injuries.
After health, it's all about the young players, especially the rookies and second-year guys who didn't play much as rookies. How will Puni look on Saturday? How about some of the young wide receivers and defensive backs? Very few of the regular starters will play on Saturday, so the young guys and backups will get a shot to showcase what they can do.
Finally, it will be interesting to see what the backup quarterbacks do. Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen are fighting for that number two spot behind Purdy. Who will step up? Will Tanner Mordecai get in the game, and if he does, how will he look? Can he do what Purdy did two seasons ago?
Gimmie: 1) The 49ers starting offensive line for week one. 2) What the starting OL should be in week one if someone smarter, like you, ran the show? - Chris W.
I predict the 49ers starting offensive line in week one against the New York Jets (on Monday Night Football) will be:
LT Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Jon Feliciano, RT Colton McKivitz
If I was running the show, the 49ers would probably have the top overall draft pick every year. That said, here's how I'd like to see the offensive line for week one:
LT Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Feliciano, RG Puni, RT Colton McKivitz
But I realize it may be too much to ask of Puni to start in week one, on Monday Night Football, against an excellent Jets defense. So I could be swayed to stick with the same lineup that started the Super Bowl. And that's probably what's going to happen.
Have you given any of the players a nickname? - Sasha R.
Do you mean other than giving Kyle Juszczyk the nickname, "Juice?" Sorry, that was a lie. I'm not the one who came up with "Juice."
No, I haven't given any players nicknames. I may assign nicknames to players I don't like, but I don't remember ever giving a 49ers player a nickname. Even when I was a kid, I don't remember doing that.
That's all we have for this week's 49ers Webzone Mailbag. We'll be back next week to answer more questions about Aiyuk and Williams. And hopefully others, as well.
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