Of course, when I sit down to write this, the Brandon Aiyuk news breaks. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that, had there been another day, this would most likely have been a question. I’ll post some thoughts on the wide receiver situation in general, but here are my thoughts overall:
I see a lot of questions on the 49ers’ social media about who’s to blame. Honestly, it’s 50/50; the 49ers shouldn’t have handed Aiyuk such a massive contract at the very last minute, and Aiyuk shouldn’t have skipped training camp and failed to play at his 2023 self until his unfortunate injury.
I have a question of my own: had Aiyuk not had social media drama, had Aiyuk not been requesting trades and arguing over pennies down to the wire, had he not skipped training camp, would the 49ers have drafted Ricky Pearsall (since training camp is after the draft, that’s hard to answer)? Would the perfect storm of Pearsall blowing up and showing Aiyuk wasn’t needed have happened? I’m all for players getting paid and generally side with them 95 percent of the time.
After signing, the few games we did see Aiyuk play in during the 2024 season had him dropping balls he caught in his sleep a year prior. In his first game of 2024, he dropped the total number of balls he dropped the year before.
On the 49ers’ side, I hope this doesn’t bite them in the future, not for how they are running Aiyuk out of San Francisco, but for their reputation with other free agents wanting to come to the team. The fact that Aiyuk doesn’t even wish to try arbitration with the NFLPA to get his guarantees back seems odd.
There should be more information to come out on this, and I’ve rambled on enough. Onto your questions:
The WR corps for 2026 is a mystery. Will Aiyuk come back strong, and–per Kawakami–do the Niners even want to keep him? Will Pearsall ever play a full season? Is Cowing a bust? Will Watkins see the field? If Jennings departs, we might not have much to work with. Do we draft a WR on day 1-2? In sum: what’s your prediction for the six WRs who take the field in September 2026?
Flydyl
LOL. This came before the Aiyuk news. The wide receiver group in 2026 is a bigger mystery now. The 49ers originally would have had Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall as their top wide receivers for 2026 and would have made a decent case for one of the better wide receiver rooms with them, had Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins returned under contract.
Now it’s a bit unclear. Kendrick Bourne is on a one-year deal. Jauan Jennings is in the last year of his contract (and after all of that drama, can they get him to stick around, too?) Are Cowing/Watkins possible Number two and three wide receivers? The only certainty is Robinson. Would you be fine with him lining up with Pearsall?
If Jennings does depart (and from what we’ve seen, that’s likely), the 49ers will need to figure out who to put with Robinson and Pearsall without knowing what Cowing/Watkins can do.
In other words: with the Aiyuk news breaking, I haven’t a [decorum] clue. Probably another pick to run in the early rounds for a wideout instead of a guard, I suppose.
Is the Panthers game a trap game? Sure feels like it. Tbey are not consistent this season..
—70sNineeFan
It could be. The Panthers have been all over the place. Yes, they are 6-5, but they only have a single win over a team above .500 (Green Bay Packers). Their other wins are: the Atlanta Falcons, the Miami Dolphins, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Jets, and the Atlanta Falcons again.
The teams the Panthers have played aren’t that great. On the other hand, the 49ers know they need to win this game for playoff purposes, so I don’t really see this as a trap game, given that Carolina has a winning record. It’s not like playing Cleveland or something.
If the RB room stays healthy, does Jordan James get snaps this season?
—9ergold
Don’t jinx it. James could get some snaps if the 49ers are en route to a blowout with time left. I do think there will be a game where Kyle Shanahan no longer wants to risk Christian McCaffrey, and then Jordan James will come in like Jordan Mason before him to do mop-up duty. Right now, they have a decent setup with McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr.
The 49ers also have a knack for not playing rookies unless they absolutely have to. You will see him, but it will be when McCaffrey and Robinson aren’t needed.
So, more importantly:
What is your opinion on the new Stargate series that is coming out?
—AK4niner
There’s a new Stargate series coming out? Wait a second, what’s Stargate?
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