Brandon Aiyuk struggled during the San Francisco 49ers' season-opening win on Monday night, and it showed in his performance. Aiyuk described feeling unlike himself in the 49ers' 32-19 victory over the New York Jets, experiencing a sensation he had never encountered before in his career.
Aiyuk hesitated to review the film of the 49ers' victory over the New York Jets on Monday, given his own challenging performance.
“I didn’t watch the film until this morning,” Aiyuk admitted Wednesday, sharing that he initially felt uneasy about reviewing his performance. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, he found it wasn't as bad as he had feared.
Brandon Aiyuk's hesitation to watch film of the 49ers vs. the Jets
“I was a little scared to watch it, but not as bad as I thought,” he continued.
Aiyuk recorded only two catches for 28 yards in Monday's victory at Levi’s Stadium, despite being targeted five times.
The 49ers star felt he fell short of his own expectations, especially after a potential touchdown pass slipped through his fingers just before halftime. Despite Brock Purdy delivering a perfect throw, Aiyuk couldn’t make the catch.
“Yeah, it was a dime,” Aiyuk admitted.
That led Hall of Famer Peyton Manning to briefly voice his frustration over Aiyuk’s decision to miss training camp during his alternate ESPN broadcast of the game.
Shaky contract negotiations with the 49ers front office
Aiyuk skipped all of training camp this summer while negotiating a new deal with the 49ers. He signed a four-year, $120 million extension late last month but didn’t practice with the team until the week of the season opener.
Last week was Aiyuk's first time back at practice since February, leading to questions about how his body would handle his return to the field. Despite this, the receiver didn’t seem overly worried about how he physically fared in Week 1.
With Christian McCaffrey sidelined by a calf and Achilles injury, San Francisco anticipated that Aiyuk would need to step up. However, Deebo Samuel (54 receiving yards, 23 rushing yards, and one touchdown) and Jordan Mason (28 carries for 147 yards and one touchdown) ensured that McCaffrey's absence didn't impact the team's performance significantly.
Almost getting traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers
After his contract talks, Aiyuk acknowledged that he “made it a little bit more difficult than it needed to be” and revealed he nearly got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Before the 49ers finalized a trade with the Steelers, they opted to re-sign Aiyuk. With that matter settled, San Francisco turned its attention to the regular season with Aiyuk back in the lineup. Following their season-opening victory over the New York Jets, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan aimed to lay the Aiyuk trade speculation to rest for good.
On the day Aiyuk signed his contract extension, the team was finalizing a trade deal with the Steelers. Aiyuk arrived early at the 49ers' facility and spoke with head coach Kyle Shanahan, who quickly recognized Aiyuk’s desire to stay with the team. Shanahan tried to halt the trade discussions, but he was unable to reach the front office, which was already in negotiations with the Steelers.
In the end, Aiyuk remained with the 49ers, much to Shanahan's relief.
Aiyuk's chance to return to form against the Minneapolis Vikings
Aiyuk showed signs of rust throughout the game against the Jets, which is understandable given the significant time he missed in the offseason.
The 26-year old racked up a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 75 catches last season, contributing to the 49ers' Super Bowl appearance. This achievement followed his previous season's 1,000-yard performance.
Brandon Aiyuk didn't detail what was off during the game, but it could simply be the result of adjusting after his unusual summer. He has the opportunity to rebound on Sunday when the 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. Given his track record, he’s likely to return to his usual form soon.
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