Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, June 28th, 2024
49ers lose 2-year hold atop PFF’s list of best linebacker corps in NFL
“Fred Warner, arguably the best linebacker in the NFL right now, has earned PFF grades above 80.0 in each of the past four seasons. The 49ers would have a case for the No. 1 spot if not for Dre Greenlaw’s injury in the Super Bowl, making his availability to start the 2024 season a question mark. But in signing De’Vondre Campbell, who has earned PFF grades above 65.0 in each of the past three seasons, they have given themselves a cushion.”
What really matters in Brandon Aiyuk’s contract negotiations with the 49ers (paywall)
“Teams tend to hunker down on their position based on facts that might make sense only to them. A player and his representation will almost always make their case based on a totally different set of facts. When timing is not of the essence, it’s easy to ask for the moon. Until one side has something to lose, demands can be wide-ranging or easily dismissed.
But the closer we get to training camp in late July, negotiations will cut to the chase. Having been the point man in many similar negotiations over the years, I know that threading the needle takes time, patience and people skills … and maybe a life preserver at the end to close the deal. Let’s take a closer look at the factors at play here.”
Brandon Aiyuk is elite — but masked by the 49ers’ many offensive weapons
“Kittle, in particular, makes a good case study for Aiyuk. We have seen games where the 49ers were depleted on offense and the gameplan has run through Kittle as the primary playmaker. Almost every time it does, he dominates.
In his career, Kittle has seen 10 targets or more 13 times. In those games, he has averaged 114 yards, clearing 150 four times (with two more at 149). But the 49ers have so many playmakers that, typically, Kittle’s role is far smaller. Last season, he averaged just 5.5 targets per game.
There are fewer elite tight ends in the league, and the consistent evidence of what happens when the offense runs through Kittle says he is an elite player at that position, but Aiyuk hasn’t earned that benefit of the doubt yet among many. Still, the signs are there that he is in the same category.”
Why Olsen, Hasselbeck believe 49ers star Kittle is underappreciated
“We think of the tight end position now as yards and catches, and he obviously gets his, being 1,000 yards a few times in his career. But his ability to be on the field for pass protection, for the run blocking, to really carry the heavy load of a lot of those run schemes and pass designs, where his ability to be physical and his ability to be multiple and athletic and strong at the point of attack and fast and athletic as a puller as a lead blocker — he gets asked to do a lot of different things.”
“I love the idea of Justin Simmons in either the Vic Fangio–style of defense he’s played in for the Broncos since 2019, or in a Seattle Seahawks–type of defense. That’s why I’d really love to see him as the center fielder in the Niners’ defense—which has historically played the Seattle three scheme, and also just brought aboard Brandon Staley (whom Simmons knows well) from the Fangio tree.”
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