San Francisco

49ers

In a wild turn of events, Aiyuk may be headed to Pittsburgh after all. The 49ers and Steelers have agreed to a deal and the latter is in a good place on a contract with Aiyuk. Rapoport also says that the 49ers have made another offer to Aiyuk, but he has yet to accept. If San Fransisco signs off, then Aiyuk will finally be a Pittsburgh Steeler, stay tuned.

The 2022 second-round defensive lineman has struggle to stay healthy during his brief career, appearing in only three contests for the 49ers over the previous two seasons. He requires surgery on his knee and is expected to miss half of the 2024 season, a blow to the depth along the defensive line in San Francisco. Kalia was having a strong camp and parlayed that success into a sack and two tackles for loss in the team’s first preseason game Saturday.

Shanahan said Thomas will be out for “some time.” We’ll likely get more on the specifics of his absence in the coming days, but the third-year corner saw significant playing time in his first preseason game, with the 49ers sitting most of their starters. Thomas started five of the 13 games he appeared in for the 49ers last season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 70.5 while allowing 39 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns on 56 targets. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him open the regular season on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least the first four games of the season.

With Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell both sitting this one out, Mason had the chance to start with the 49ers’ backups. The third-year back was solid, ripping off a 13-yard run on his first carry of the game while later capping the opening drive with a four-yard score. It was the only drive Mason would play on, but he remains an interesting player to monitor, given Mitchell’s injury history. Fantasy managers don’t need to prioritize Mason in drafts, but he has a solid 83-464-4 (5.6 YPC) line over his two years in the league.

Pelissero’s statement reads, “The 49ers have made a renewed effort in recent days to strike a long-term deal with WR Brandon Aiyuk... The situation is fluid and other teams, including Pittsburgh, are still in the mix. But a return to SF appears increasingly possible.” NFL Insider Jordan Schultz concurrently reported Kyle Shanahan also attended the meeting, where “some open and candid thoughts were expressed.” A long-term deal that helps keep the 49ers’ Super Bowl aspirations alive ultimately makes the most sense for all parties.

According to Russini, the 49ers “would like a receiver in return for Aiyuk” but “are open to players at other positions.” As it stands right now, the Steelers seem like the most likely team to acquire the star receiver, especially with the Patriots now appearing out of the sweepstakes. However, this negotiation appears far from over for the time being. The 49ers have little ground to negotiate a more favorable trade at this time. Their relationship with Aiyuk appears frayed beyond repair at this point, and the downside to keeping him on the roster this season could mean another year of trade/contract negotiations next offseason when they would have to franchise tag him to keep him on the roster. We’ll likely know in the near future if the Steelers are willing to up their current offer or if they prefer to move on from trade discussions.

Jackson suffered a season-ending knee injury for the second time in as many seasons, this time before the 2024 season even started. Jackson flashed at times in his first two NFL seasons but recurring knee injuries coupled with poor rookie season conditioning will ultimately limit him to just 23 games played in three years.

Kyle Shanahan told reporters Pearsall initially suffered the injury during the spring and indicated Pearsall’s current sidelining is a precautionary move. Shanahan’s decision to play things safely makes sense, with Brandon Aiyuk’s potential trade looming and Christian McCaffrey nursing a calf strain. Deebo Samuel also briefly exited Wednesday’s practice but returned to play, though he reportedly did not practice on Thursday in what could also reasonably be a precautionary decision.

Chosen joins a wide receiver corps that is somewhat in flux. Brandon Aiyuk’s future with the team is currently up in the air while he and the team explore trade options, and rookie Ricky Pearsall left practice earlier this week with a shoulder injury. Chosen caught four passes for 126 yards and one touchdown for the Dolphins last season and is far from a lock to make the team’s 53-man roster. Still, the 31-year-old speedster provides a veteran presence to an offense that could be in need of some help at receiver.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reports the 49ers are planning to sign safety Tracy Walker after he worked out for them on Wednesday. Walker tore his Achilles in 2022, but returned to play 17 games for the Lions in 2023. Starting in six games last season, he defended two passes, forced one fumble, and recorded one sack. Walker totaled 79 games in six seasons with the Lions, starting 43 of them and defending 23 passes with three interceptions. The veteran now lands with the 49ers, who could use the depth with Talanoa Hufanga recovering from last season’s Week 11 ACL tear.