With a 5-9 record and just two games left on their schedule, the San Francisco 49ers are set to miss the playoffs a season after making it to the Super Bowl. But one of the bright spots for the 49ers this season has been rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is on the cusp of history and can break a longstanding franchise rookie record set by Jerry Rice.
With 733 receiving yards on 59 receptions and five touchdowns this season, the 22-year-old is close to surpassing Rice’s record for most receiving yards by a 49ers rookie, which stands at 927.
Aiyuk will have a chance to surpass the record when San Francisco faces the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
While the 25th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft is excited at the possibility of rewriting the record books, it isn’t his top priority to finish out the season:
“Going into a game, my mindset is that I’m going to have 200 yards, and then go from there,” Aiyuk told Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “The mindset is not to worry about that record, but to go have the perfect game, which I’ve yet to do. If at the end of the season I look up and the record is broken, that would be pretty exciting, but we have two games left and that’s the main focus right now.”
Making Aiyuk’s record more impressive is the fact that the rookie wideout missed three games this season due to injury and after testing positive for COVID-19. But if he puts up big games against the Cardinals and Seahawks, he could break the record.
While Rice has previously spoken out about congratulating Aiyuk if he breaks his record, he didn’t feel the same way about former wide receiver Randy Moss, who called himself the greatest wide receiver of all time while placing Rice at third or fourth on the all-time list.
Follow Us
Subscribe