Against Vikings, 49ers will try to take significant step toward playoffs by running

Brandon Aiyuk knows his payday will come—eventually. Some speculated that the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver might be frustrated by his contract situation. However, Aiyuk admits he was just having fun with the offseason rumors. "It's just a crazy, crazy business, so you never really know," Aiyuk told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "But I was having fun with it. I knew what's going on long before, so yeah. I didn't know what was going on at first, but I had a conversation with [general manager] John [Lynch], I had a conversation with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan]. They told me what it was, and then from that point on, we moved forward." Aiyuk is entering his fourth NFL season and is looking to top his 78-catch, 1,015-yard, and eight-touchdown

Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on

Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot. That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam

The San Francisco 49ers entered the offseason with several questions after key figures, such as Jimmie Ward, Mike McGlinchey, Samson Ebukam, and Charles Omenihu, departed in free agency, creating the possibility for position battles in organized team activities(OTAs) and training camp. While several of the starting spots are solidified, there are still a few position battles to watch, as well as depth questions that could allow younger players to compete and take 53-man roster spots at the end of the offseason. Let's break down some of those battles to watch and how they could play out for the 49ers, outside of the obvious competition at