49ers signing kicker Matt Gay to fill in for Eddy Piñeiro
“A Pro Bowl selection in 2021, Gay helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI and made NFL history in 2023 by becoming the first kicker to hit four field goals of 50-plus yards in a single game.”
The Christian McCaffrey you don’t know: A puzzle-solving, wordsmithing chess nerd (paywall)
“Juszczyk, for example, said he was surprised when, while hanging out with McCaffrey and some of his boyhood friends during a recent offseason, McCaffrey got up and started playing the piano. He took lessons beginning at age 5 and stuck with it after his neighbor and close friend, Mike Mann, told him it was a great way to attract girls.
The running back put that to the test one day when he was wooing now-wife Olivia Culpo. He played a few notes, thinking it would knock her off her feet. But in addition to being a former Miss Universe and model, Culpo is an accomplished cellist whose mother plays viola for the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra. And McCaffrey didn’t pass muster, at least as a pianist.
“She was so unimpressed, it was ridiculous,” he recalled.
More impressive are McCaffrey’s skills in word hunts, finding anagrams and playing chess. He recently reached the 1000 level on chess.com, which means that, according to the site’s metric, he’s on the verge of becoming an advanced player … and also that no one on the 49ers bothers to play him anymore.
“I know how to play chess, but I don’t know any strategy,” said the Harvard-educated Juszczyk. “And he has so much fun just mopping the floor with me.” …. On top of chess, his locker-room opponents in the anagram game are dwindling, too.
“His first week here, I played him one time and he beat me by like 100 words,” said Kittle, whose locker is next to McCaffrey’s. “I’d never played the game before. And I was like, ‘Yeah, not wasting my time.’”
The only one who can keep pace is Puni, whose girlfriend got him hooked on anagrams and who, unlike Kittle, was prepared when McCaffrey first challenged him.
“We played our first game to 100,” Puni said. “And he won 100 to 97. So it was a dogfight. It felt like a Game 7.”
Puni said when his phone buzzes at 8 p.m., he knows who it is. The text will read either “CMC Word Hunt” or “CMC Anagram.”
At that point, it’s game on.
“It’s kind of annoying,” Puni said of McCaffrey’s word-game prowess.
Kawakami mailbag: The future for Aiyuk and Jones, the Giants’ strategy, and more (paywall)
“You’d get a “yes” from me on trading Jones. I’ve speculated for a while that, even though he signed a two-year deal with the 49ers last offseason, there might be a tacit agreement that the 49ers will try to do right by him next offseason after he played so well replacing Purdy for eight games this season….And on Aiyuk … it’s always tricky to put a value on a player who has been hurt for so long or to evaluate his current status on the team while he’s hurt. But the 49ers have been thinking of trading Aiyuk since he staged all those weird scenes during his negotiation last year and it’s not like he’s gained value with them ever since.
In fact, if he hadn’t suffered the injury, Aiyuk might’ve already been traded. He has a $27 million guaranteed salary next season that was built for a trade — it won’t accelerate onto the 49ers’ cap if he’s traded and can be fit onto a new team’s cap pretty simply with a few alterations.
The complication for the 49ers is that unless Aiyuk comes back soon and plays great this season, he won’t be worth very much on the trade market. And because the 49ers might also lose Jauan Jennings to free agency, the 49ers’ WR ranks would be pretty thin without Aiyuk.
But certain parts of the 49ers’ front office has been all but done with Aiyuk for a while now. And I’m not sure Shanahan and Lynch are in the mood to stand up for him anymore. I think everybody else is getting ready for Aiyuk to be an ex-49er by March, even if the 49ers will probably get almost nothing in return for him.“
49ers rookie Nick Martin on long wait for playing time: ‘Am I doing something wrong?’ (paywall)
“His surprise installment at strong-side (“Sam”) linebacker in a divisional road win against the Cardinals revealed his raw ability to pursue the ball. Martin played only 14 defensive snaps but finished with seven tackles, including five solo, with a 78.9 tackling grade on Pro Football Focus that ranked third on the 49ers. He was not perfect, particularly in coverage, but also did not miss a tackle.“
49ers great Roger Craig remains in contention for 2026 Hall of Fame enshrinement
“The other eight seniors who remain under consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 are quarterback Ken Anderson, wide receivers Henry Ellard, Stanley Morgan and Otis Taylor, defensive end L.C. Greenwood, offensive lineman Joe Jacoby, cornerback Eddie Meador, and special-teamer Steve Tasker.
The voting process began several weeks ago with 182 nominees in the senior category. To qualify as a senior, a player must be at least 25 seasons removed from his final NFL game.
The voting process began several weeks ago with 182 nominees in the senior category. To qualify as a senior, a player must be at least 25 seasons removed from his final NFL game.
The Hall of Fame’s nine-person seniors blue-ribbon committee will meet Nov. 25 to determine the three former players who will be finalists for the next Hall of Fame class. Those three individuals will be announced in early December.
The reduction voting is also occurring in the modern-era players category. The NFL announced 25 semifinalists will be announced on Tuesday. Former 49ers running back Frank Gore, the No. 3 leading rusher in NFL history, is a strong candidate for induction as a first-time eligible candidate.“
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