Coming off of a heart-breaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 2024 offseason has certainly not gone as smoothly as folks in the Bay Area would've hoped. The 49ers enter training camp with two notable holdouts… All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and four-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, a crucial pair that played a large role in why the 49ers were 2nd in total offense and 3rd in scoring last season.
When/if the 49ers will reach deals with both Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams before the season begins remains to be seen. Nick Bosa's holdout went down to the wire last year, and San Francisco was in a better financial position then than they are now. It's a classic example of champagne problems, but still, it's a problem nonetheless. However, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Aiyuk and Williams' 49ers teammates are trying not to focus too much on their absences.
“[Williams] is the best left tackle probably to ever play the game, so he'll be fine whenever he shows up,” George Kittle told Fowler. “BA, we'd love to have him out there, understand what he's going through. I don't know if it's hard for us to build our identity [without them], but what it does allow us to do is let these [other] guys take opportunities they would not have gotten if he was out there. And hey, it's more targets for me and Christian [McCaffrey] and Deebo [Samuel] so far, so we're having a good time.”
Not having of the best left tackles in football, even at age 36, would be a huge deal. But as George Kittle noted, the 49ers seemingly have the appropriate amount of firepower to offset the absence, or if a trade is the end result, the loss of Brandon Aiyuk.
49ers won't be lacking offensive firepower
Brandon Aiyuk accounted for over 1,300 yards of offense in San Francisco last season, so his presence shouldn't necessarily be minimized, but the 49ers do have weapons aplenty in addition to the 7th-leading receiver in the NFL. Christian McCaffrey was named the Offensive Player of the Year and has only strengthened his grip on the title of best running back alive since being traded to San Francisco during the 2022 season. Deebo Samuel has accounted for over 3,700 yards of total offense over 42 games the last three seasons. And then you have George Kittle, who for the last half of a decade has been among the league's most complete tight ends.
Then of course there is Brock Purdy, the 2022 NFL Draft's Mr. Irrelevant who in just two year's time has elevated himself to MVP contention, thanks in large part to the weapons John Lynch and the 49ers have surrounded him with. But 2024 could be an even bigger season for Brock Purdy, says his All-Pro tight end.
“He's just very comfortable with the offense,” Kittle said. “There are no limitations, no restrictions on his elbow, nothing like that. To be able to come out, have a full offseason to throw as much as he wanted and to really just get confident and comfortable with the offense … you can feel him take control of it, it's just really fun to see.”
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