With the 49ers sitting 60 days out from the season opener, a few familiar names are already shaping the conversation around what this team might look like when it finally gets there.
Jerry Rice weighed in on the idea of adding Mike Evans, and he made it clear how he’d use a receiver with that kind of size. “Just throw it up,” Rice said.
“Throw it up because he’s got that big frame. He’s going to be able to go up and attack the football.
So, once you’re in the end zone, just throw that thing up, like ‘Alley-Oop’ (R.C. Owens) back in the day.
Just throw it up and let him go get it, and he’s capable of doing that.”
Rice also touched on De’Zhaun Stribling and 2026 expectations as part of his 49ers discussion.
Meanwhile, Andrew Whitworth took a hard look at what it means for San Francisco to invest premium draft capital in an offensive tackle. Speaking to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area this week at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, Whitworth said, “I think, to me, it does scream that maybe they just don’t have a lot of confidence in their ability to select the right one,” Whitworth told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area this week at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe.
He expanded on that point by stressing how much rides on getting the pick right. “When you’re going to allocate a first-round pick or a second-round pick on an offensive lineman, a lot of people love that theory, but you better be damn good at picking it,” Whitworth said.
“Because when you hit on an offensive lineman, it could be unbelievable for your franchise early in the draft, because a great offensive line, a great D-line is the story to successful football teams…. You draft an unproductive lineman, you are cooked because now you’re getting a second-, third-, fourth-tier lineman who’s going to have to play because the money you allocated for this guy is worthless,” Whitworth said.
“And now, your team is going to struggle because you’re not going to get quality reps out of a guy. So, you can both shoot your team forward and really set yourself back when you miss on offensive linemen.”
There was also speculation about another possible move that could help San Francisco’s pass rush. Vasquez noted that “Highsmith’s absence from mandatory minicamp coupled with Nick Herbig’s massive extension have led many, including myself, to believe the Steelers could look for a trade partner sooner than later,” and added, “The 49ers could desperately use another edge rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, and the Steelers may be one of the few teams with talent at the position to spare.”
In Other News...
49ers Could Be Headed For A Brutal Roster Cleanup After This Season
The 49ers are staring at the kind of cap crunch that tends to force hard choices, and the pressure is expected to hit hard after the 2026 season. With the roster already built around expensive core pieces, the front office could be staring at a cleanup that is less about tinkering and more about clearing space, especially if the team wants to keep reloading instead of settling for a slow decline.
Mac Jones, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson, Jake Brendel and JiAyir Brown all sit in different spots on the roster, but each comes with a reason the 49ers may eventually move on. Jones still looks like a player whose best path is elsewhere, Kirk is on a short-term deal, Robinson has not given the club much reason to bet bigger, Brendels role is tied to a position the team may want to upgrade, and Browns uneven run has kept his future from feeling secure. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Aiyuk Exit Buzz Just Put 49ers Fans On Edge
Brandon Aiyuks name is back in the rumor mill, and this time the Dallas Cowboys are the team being tied to him as speculation around a possible trade keeps circulating. The chatter has enough traction to make 49ers fans pay attention, especially with the Polymarket App listing Dallas at a 21% chance to land the receiver, even if the idea still has plenty of hurdles in front of it.
Salary cap concerns are part of the equation, along with the obvious uncertainty around Aiyuks situation and contract status, which makes any move feel complicated rather than clean. If Dallas decides the price and risk are too steep, the Cowboys could simply pivot to other options, including rookie Ryan Flournoy, leaving the Aiyuk talk as another reminder that this situation is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]