49ers hopeful for Talanoa Hufanga return in training camp

Talanoa Hufanga is on track for a training camp return, which is great news for him and the 49ers. Here’s what it means for the 49ers’ roster:

The 49ers may have solved their safety depth conundrum. There were questions about Talanoa Hufanga’s availability after he tore his ACL in Week 11 last season, but head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday indicated the team is hopeful it will get its starting strong safety back during training camp.

This is a pretty significant development for San Francisco, and it means their hunt for a safety in free agency will be for a depth piece instead of a starter. With Hufanga on track for a pre-Week 1 return the ambiguity of the need in the back end of the secondary is eliminated.

San Francisco will still want to add veteran depth. They need some kind of proven commodity behind Hufanga in the event of a setback or if he can’t return to full speed as quickly as they might like. However, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them add a player via the draft to try and develop as a long-term piece for them with Hufanga entering the final year of his rookie contract.

For now though this is great news for Hufanga. He’ll not only be able to shore up the 49ers’ secondary, but he’ll have a full season under his belt as he hits his first free agency. The All-Pro safety was a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft. He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2022, his first year as a starter, and was putting together another strong 2023 campaign when he got hurt.

Hufanga has started 30 of his 42 games for the 49ers, including 27 in a row before his injury. He’s posted 181 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven interceptions and 14 pass breakups.

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49ers free agent signings might’ve been made with new kickoff rule in mind

A few #49ers free agency signings make way more sense when viewed through the lens of the new kickoff rules.

The 49ers might have had an inkling the NFL’s new kickoff rule was going to pass. While San Francisco voted against it, the adoption of the new rule Tuesday at the NFL’s annual league meetings brings into focus the impetus behind a handful  of the 49ers’ offseason additions.

Part of San Francisco’s signings in the first couple free agency waves included cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Isaac Yiadom, as well as linebacker Ezekiel Turner. The 49ers also re-signed LB Demetrius Flanningan-Fowles and extended safety George Odum.

The common thread between these players is that all of them have been strong special teams contributors throughout their careers. Even Yiadom, who is coming off his best season as a defender, played a ton of special teams last season for the Saints.

With kick returns suddenly a more prominent aspect of each game, the 49ers needed to shore up a kick coverage unit that struggled enough last season that it could easily be chalked up as a major problem in a world where there are returns on virtually every kick instead of just one or two per game. By bolstering their roster with special teams aces, they could be giving themselves a major advantage under the NFL’s new special teams-forward rule.

It also makes sense that the 49ers don’t have their return man just yet. San Francisco could just be waiting until the comp pick formula is no longer in play before signing a return specialist, but they might also be viewing a world where some of their playmakers are more useful on kickoffs than they’d been in the past.

With kick coverage units unable to run to cover the kick until the returner has the ball in their hands, it could set up a world where a player like Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk become more dangerous as returners without as much injury risk as there’d been before. Perhaps the 49ers will replace Ray-Ray McCloud and roll with that player as their return man. They could also turn to second-year WR Ronnie Bell, who handled kickoffs at various points last season. However, the door is open for a more proven, electric playmaker to have the ball in their hands on kickoffs with a chance to get behind blockers to make a play.

How the 49ers choose to operate on returns will be a fascinating aspect of the leadup to the 2024 season. For now though it appears they’re gearing up their roster to be strong in kick coverage, and they could be angling toward doing the same for kick returns to try and take an early advantage of a league still figuring out how to play with the new rules.

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Of course 49ers voted against new NFL kickoff rule

The #49ers voted against the NFL’s new kickoff rule. Because of course they did.

The NFL on Tuesday voted to adopt a new rule for kickoffs that the league hopes will reduce injuries while also bringing kick returns back into the fore. For the last several years kickoffs have become a largely ceremonial process where the kicker blasts the kick out of the end zone. The new rules and kickoff formation will likely generate more returns, which makes it not surprising the 49ers were one of three teams to vote against it.

Under the new rules teams will kick off from their own 35 with 10 members of the kicking team lining up on their own 40. There’s a landing zone between the receiving team’s 20 and their goal line that the kick must reach. No fair catches are allowed, and touchbacks give the receiving team possession at their own 30. The kicking team won’t be able to cover the kick until the receiving team has caught the ball. There are a handful of other stipulations, but here is in general what it’s supposed to look like, as executed in the XFL:

According to MMQB’s Albert Breer, San Francisco was joined by Green Bay and Las Vegas in voting against the rule.

There are a handful of reasons the 49ers might’ve voted against the deal. Matt Barrows of the Athletic reported the team wanted to revisit the rule at the October league meetings after more health and safety evaluation was done. Barrows added that San Francisco was “leery of unintended consequences of such a big change.”

Typically we’ve seen the 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan do everything humanly possible to eliminate variance in the special teams aspect of the game. They messed around with short kickoffs to try and pin teams deep in their own territory, but by the end of the 2023 season kicker Jake Moody was launching kicks out of the end zone to remove the potential for a big kickoff return that flips field position.

By implementing the new rule the league will require a level of strategy on kickoffs that wasn’t in play before. Shanahan will have to dedicate at least some level of energy to kickoffs and kick returns that he didn’t before. While it shouldn’t have a dramatic impact on the offense or defense, it’s not surprising that the 49ers voted against it since it’ll require at least a little more thought from the head coach than kickoffs had previously required both in game and with how the roster will ultimately be constructed.

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George Kittle takes in Iowa’s NCAA Tournament contest vs. West Virginia

The people’s tight end! George Kittle made sure to show up and show out for Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball vs. West Virginia.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is the place everybody wants to be at on Monday night as the Iowa Hawkeyes take on West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

It is truly the last ride as Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall will play in front of yet another sold-out crowd of Iowa faithful for the last time. One last time for the greatest player in Iowa history.

All year, Iowa has been the hot ticket. Across the nation, fans have flocked to catch a glimpse of the Hawkeyes play. New fans flocked to the sport.

Clark even got celebrities such as Mick Foley, Travis Scott, and even Jake From State Farm out to games. And now, she has one of the greatest Hawkeye football players out for her final home game.

One of the best tight ends in the NFL, George Kittle was spotted in Carver, soaking in the playoff atmosphere. The San Francisco 49ers star was seen wearing the jersey of his wife, Claire.

Kittle was given the mic before the game to hype up the Iowa crowd. Naturally, Kittle got quite the ovation as he made his way to his seat.

In typical Kittle fashion, he had time for the fans, too.

From one of the best football players to come out of the University of Iowa to its greatest basketball player. Game recognizes game.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Jacob on X: @Jacobkeppen

Brandon Aiyuk’s social media post just following contract negotiation playbook

Don’t freak out about Brandon Aiyuk’s social media activity. (Do freak out if the 49ers trade him though).

Brandon Aiyuk on Monday sent various corners of the internet where 49ers fans reside into a tizzy with a simple Instagram post. The All-Pro wide receiver posted to his story a set of emojis that translated roughly to “money talks, defecation from some kind of horned bovine creature walks.”

The only thing keeping this from being a textbook play from a player negotiating a contract is that it wasn’t quite cryptic enough. The message was loud and clear (and not particularly groundbreaking): Aiyuk wants to get paid.

(Screenshot via IG/@brandonaiyuk)

Aiyuk’s desire to achieve the proverbial bag this offseason isn’t a secret. It’s not a secret any time an ascending All-Pro player is due for his second NFL contract. The post from Aiyuk is a typical move to negotiate as best as possible through the public. He can control the discourse with a couple taps on his phone since general manager John Lynch is going to say all the right things publicly about how they’re working toward a deal and they want Aiyuk around long-term. He’ll also say things like the 49ers are okay with letting Aiyuk play out his fifth-year option.

 

While Lynch does that, Aiyuk can whip fans into a frenzy to try and apply some kind of external pressure on the 49ers.

That’s the extent of the damage he can do with a social media post though. The 49ers front office didn’t see Aiyuk’s IG story and have some kind of revelation that they may need to pay him top-five WR money. There have been zero points since the start of the 2023 season when that hasn’t been the case. He was stellar in 2022 and backed it up with an even better 2023. There are a million reasons they’ll want to keep him in the building.

We can expect more of this kind of thing going forward if other players contract negotiations are instructive at all. At some point there’ll be another social media post from Aiyuk or someone close to him indicating he’s on his way out. There will be teams and people followed and unfollowed on social media. Photos and posts will be deleted. There might even be a public trade demand in there.

None of these public negotiation tactics will ultimately matter because none of it is out of the ordinary. We’ve seen it time and time again, and it doesn’t alter the 49ers’ course of negotiations at all. Just like Lynch saying all the right things won’t change Aiyuk’s course of negotiation. What will matter is what’s going on behind closed doors.

It’s clear the 49ers want to keep Aiyuk, but they’ll have a price point. Whether Aiyuk’s price point falls at or below where the 49ers are willing to go remains to be seen. Those negotiations are certainly underway on some level, but they’ve likely not begun in earnest.

There are two deadlines, one hard and one soft. The hard deadline is the 2024 NFL draft which starts on Thursday, April 25. If San Francisco is going to trade Aiyuk it’s likely they’d want to do so by Day 1 of the draft to ensure they’re maximizing their return in a way that will help them this season.

The soft deadline is the start of training camp. The 49ers have typically done business in a way that sees long-term extensions get done either just before or early on in training camp. We saw defensive end Nick Bosa take his negotiations on a new contract up to the first week of the regular season, but that hasn’t been the usual timeline for San Francisco and its star players.

It’s unlikely there’s a smooth path to the conclusion of the Aiyuk saga. Regardless of how it ends there are going to be twists and turns. While we don’t know how this all will end, we do know it’s not going to turn either direction based on an either cryptic or not-so-cryptic social media post.

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Check out the new San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft hat

Grab your San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat:

The NFL has unveiled their annual line of hats that your new favorite player is set to wear on the stage at the 2024 NFL draft.

Check out the new San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat:

SHOP: San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat

Each year, the league releases a new customized lid for each team that is given to prospects who are selected at the event. Notably, the first-round picks are handed a jersey, that year’s draft hat, and go over and give a hug to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

There are four versions for each team’s hat that come in stretch fit, snapback and fitted varieties, with prices varying on each. On Monday, every team’s version was released… except the Houston Texans and New York Jets.

Sorry Texans and Jets fans, with those clubs releasing new uniforms soon there’s still a bit of waiting to do.

We’ll bring you those updates, but for the other 30 teams, check out your favorite team’s newest headgear and be the first fan in your friend group to own a 2024 NFL Draft hat by checking them all out at Fanatics.

[afflinkbutton text=”Buy San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/m5KMva”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Touchdown Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Check out the new San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft hat

Grab your San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat:

The NFL has unveiled their annual line of hats that your new favorite player is set to wear on the stage at the 2024 NFL draft.

Check out the new San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat:

San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat
San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat (Fanatics)

SHOP: San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat

Each year, the league releases a new customized lid for each team that is given to prospects who are selected at the event. Notably, the first-round picks are handed a jersey, that year’s draft hat, and go over and give a hug to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

There are four versions for each team’s hat that come in stretch fit, snapback and fitted varieties, with prices varying on each. On Monday, every team’s version was released… except the Houston Texans and New York Jets.

Sorry Texans and Jets fans, with those clubs releasing new uniforms soon there’s still a bit of waiting to do.

We’ll bring you those updates, but for the other 30 teams, check out your favorite team’s newest headgear and be the first fan in your friend group to own a 2024 NFL Draft hat by checking them all out at Fanatics.

[afflinkbutton text=”Buy San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL Draft Hat” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/m5KMva”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Touchdown Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Brandon Aiyuk’s emoji-filled Instagram story sure looks like a response to the 49ers denying trade rumors

Aiyuk had five emojis in response to 49ers’ general manager John Lynch suggesting he wouldn’t trade his All-Pro wideout.

The San Francisco 49ers have a difficult decision to make when it comes to top wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The 2023 All-Pro is coming off a 1,300-yard season in which he helped guide the Niners back to the Super Bowl and helped make Brock Purdy one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks. It was by far his best year as a pro and the kind of performance that would typically solidify his place in the San Francisco lineup.

Except he may be too good for the 49ers to afford. San Francisco’s star-laden roster is loaded with high-priced players and is one of only three teams projected to be over next year’s estimated salary cap, per Over The Cap. Not only could Kyle Shanahan’s team be cutting costs next spring, but it will also have to consider a handful of pending free agents who’ll be headed to the open market in 2025.

Aiyuk is one of them and could be looking at a $30 million annual salary. That’s led to speculation about a potential trade, similar to how the Tennessee Titans shipped off A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in order to avoid giving him a four-year, $100 million contract extension in 2022. On Monday, general manager John Lynch told the media his Niners weren’t in the market for an Aiyuk trade and that he wanted his star wideout on the roster going forward.

That spurred this response from the former first round pick.

Almost every wide receiver’s Tweets and/or Instagram stories are cryptic, but this one feels pretty clear. Money talks and bull, uh, poop walks. If Lynch really wants Aiyuk to stick around, there’s one way to get that done. Give him a contract befitting one of the league’s top four wideouts.

That won’t be cheap, especially for a team that will also have big decisions to make about fellow 2025 free agents like Dre Greenlaw and Tanaloa Hufanga while considering a potential contract extension for Purdy. There are a lot of moving parts in play here, and while Aiyuk’s ability to put San Francisco’s offense on his shoulders makes him a worthy expense, the 49ers may not be able to pay it unless they make some other moves first.

Brock Purdy offered encouragement to Audi Crooks and Iowa State after heartbreaking OT loss to Stanford

This was an extremely kind gesture by Brock Purdy.

Brock Purdy is a women’s hoops fan, and on Sunday, he attended Iowa State and Stanford’s bucket-getting matchup to support his alma mater. The Cyclones ultimately fell to Stanford in overtime, but postgame, Purdy was there to offer encouragement and words of wisdom.

The stars have come out to see the 2024 women’s NCAA tournament. During the first week of March Madness, Cheryl Miller, Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, Caleb Williams and Russell Westbrook and his wife, Nina, all took in some terrific games. However, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may have been treated to the best game of the tournament.

Purdy, and his wife, Jenna, were in attendance to see the Iowa State Cyclones women’s basketball team play Stanford in a March Madness classic. Though the Cyclones weren’t able to secure a win, head coach Bill Fennelly had Purdy speak with Audi Crooks, fellow freshman Jalynn Brooks and the team to share some of his wisdom after his own heartbreaking loss, Super Bowl 58.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C463MGhpOC5/?igsh=bGJ2NGZuNnY3Y3oz

According to Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register, Purdy shared these words with the team:

“He just told us, ‘You wear Iowa State, keep your heads up. We have people around us, and you can see it,’ Bristow said.”

Why did 49ers lose 2025 5th-round pick?

It turns out a $75,000 mistake cost the 49ers their 2025 fifth-round pick.

It turns out a fifth-round pick is worth about $75,000.

49ers general manager John Lynch on Monday at the NFL owners meetings told reporters the team’s accounting error that cost them a 2025 fifth-round pick came during the 2020 season when they overpaid a player by $75,000.

Instead of reporting the mistake to the league, the team tried to get the money back from the player. They were unable to do so, and their mistake was caught by the league heading into this season.

Since San Francisco didn’t circumvent the salary cap or do anything maliciously their punishment was relatively mild. Their No. 131 pick in the fourth round of this year’s draft dropped to No. 135, while their 2025 fifth-round pick was vacated. Still, Lynch told reporters he disagreed with the level of punishment the NFL handed down per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

While the 49ers may not have made the mistake on purpose, the league still has to ensure punishments are levied for such errors. Given the nature of this miscue, the punishment is probably fitting. Surely San Francisco will report the mistake through the proper channels in the future.

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