If social media reactions are any indication, San Francisco 49ers fans are frustrated. After watching wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk engage in a lengthy contract standoff with the team this offseason, he became one of the NFL's highest-paid wide receivers.
Aiyuk has only 11 catches for 119 yards and no touchdowns so far this season—well below the expectations fans had for such a highly compensated player.
In the loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Aiyuk caught five passes for 48 yards on 10 targets. Meanwhile, Jauan Jennings, the team's third receiver, who saw more opportunities due to Deebo Samuel's injury, looked like the one deserving of Aiyuk's paycheck. Jennings hauled in 11 passes for a game-high 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Concerns that Aiyuk's contract dispute might lead to early-season rust appear valid. After all, the receiver didn't start practicing with his teammates until the week before the season began.
"I just think it comes with opportunities that you get in games with looks," quarterback Brock Purdy said after the game. "It's not, I'm dropping back, and going, 'We're not ready yet. I'm not going to give him the ball.' It has nothing to do with that. It's, 'What's my read? Is it the right look here with B.A.?'"
Late in the game, with just over four minutes remaining, Purdy scrambled and had significant time to throw. Aiyuk was wide open deep downfield on that play, but Purdy didn't spot him. Had Purdy thrown to Aiyuk—and assuming Aiyuk caught it—it likely would have resulted in a touchdown, giving the 49ers a commanding 31-17 lead.
.@49ers I thought this could have easily been the "nail in the coffin" as @THE2ERA was wide open. Cant figure out why Brock didnt throw it. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/qMBZp6ez3v
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 23, 2024
Instead, the 49ers settled for a field goal attempt, which second-year kicker Jake Moody missed.
"Obviously, we're scheming stuff up to get him in a great position to win and get him the ball," Purdy continued, "but defenses do a good job of scheming some stuff up, and they get me off the reads, and I go to other guys. That's just part of the game. That's the nature of it.
"But we're going to continue to get better and watch this as well so that we can both be on the same page. But I absolutely love B.A. He's working really hard right now, and I can tell you that we're going to continue to grow together."
