San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice knows exactly what his former team needs at wide receiver to take the next step offensively. The Pro Football Hall of Famer recently sat down with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area and made it clear: the 49ers must add a true deep threat.
"We've gotta have a burner," Rice said. "We've gotta have someone that can take that layer off the top because you become predictable, and defensive coordinators, they get a feel for you. And they know that we only throw the ball over the middle, or we're gonna throw the ball to the outside. You've got to be able to throw it over the top."
The 49ers had that in wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. However, general manager John Lynch has all but confirmed that Aiyuk has played his final snap with the 49ers.
With Aiyuk on the way out, Jauan Jennings set to hit free agency, and second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall coming off an injury-marred campaign, the 49ers are widely expected to target a starting-caliber wide receiver either in free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft.
Rice believes adding a vertical threat would open up the offense for quarterback Brock Purdy and make life much tougher on opposing defenses.
"Back in the day, Bill Walsh said, 'Hey look, even if we don't make this connection, we're still gonna throw it deep to let the opposing defense know that, hey, we're not afraid to go deep,'" Rice recalled. "And I think we need to start doing more of that."
As the 49ers reshape their wide receiver room this offseason, Rice's message is clear: speed and explosiveness are crucial to the offense's continued success.