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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/24

September 2nd, 2024 at 7:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Praise Olatoke

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: OL Blake Larson

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: DB Ayo Oyelola

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: S Kendell Brooks

Weaver has dropped from the player who logged 640 defensive snaps in 2022, when Harold Landry was sidelined for the year, to the practice squad level. The Titans waived Weaver after setting their initial 53-man roster. He will follow ex-teammate Teair Tart by joining the Texans’ D-line upon being a Titans cut. Though, Tart landed in Houston via waiver claim and never dropped to the P-squad. Weaver registered 5.5 sacks in 2022 but did not record any in 15 games last season.

The Giants waived Long last week. He will join a Colts team that has made multiple moves at corner since setting its initial roster. Indianapolis, which took some heat for not augmenting its outside CB situation this offseason, claimed Samuel Womack off waivers from San Francisco and waived Darrell Baker. Long, a former Rams third-round pick, played for three teams (Raiders, Panthers, Packers in 2023.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/24

September 2nd, 2024 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Labor Day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Dee Delaney

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR David Durden

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Trey Knox

New Orleans Saints

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Kevin Rader

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Stromberg sustained a knee injury that will require surgery. The 2023 third-round pick, one of five 2023 draftees that did not make Washington’s 53-man roster last week, will only need an arthroscopic procedure, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Stromberg is aiming to catch on somewhere else around the midseason point. He only played 26 rookie-year snaps on offense. The Arkansas product would technically have a chance to land back with the Commanders, depending on the terms of the settlement, but the team moving on so early may well point to the Adam Peters regime deeming the Ron Rivera– and Martin Mayhew-overseen move a mistake.

Davis figures to land elsewhere and play this season. The 28-year-old linebacker sustained a foot sprain and will be out for a few weeks, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Davis played in 16 games, split evenly between the Saints and Panthers, last season.

49ers WR Ricky Pearsall Released From Hospital

September 1st, 2024 at 9:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after Ricky Pearsall was upgraded from serious but stable condition to fair condition, more good news has emerged regarding the 49ers rookie wide receiver. He has been released from the hospital Sunday afternoon, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reports.

Pearsall was shot during an attempted robbery on Saturday. Per Erin Pearsall, Ricky’s mother, the bullet entered his chest and exited through his back without hitting any vital organs. She added that her son is in good spirits. The first-round pick will continue recuperating away from the hospital.

A statement from the San Francisco Police Department indicated Pearsall, 23, was shot in the chest while on his way to a signing event. The shooting took place in San Francisco’s Union Square. A struggle for the gun took place, and both he and the suspect, a 17-year-old male, were shot. A discharge occurring so soon after the shooting represents great news for Pearsall, all things considered.

The former Florida and Arizona State wideout had been expected to play a key role on this year’s 49ers team, but that is certainly on hold while the prospect recovers. The 49ers are well positioned at wideout this year, though their wait on Pearsall’s on-field development is obviously not the main focus right now.

It is too soon to speculate on when Pearsall will be able to resume his playing career. The 49ers drafted him on the same day in which Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel trade talks occurred. Those discussions continued to Day 2 of the draft, but John Lynch closed the book on them post-draft. Pearsall’s development stands to loom as a factor for Samuel’s long-term San Francisco status, but Aiyuk is now signed to a four-year extension and the oldest of the team’s WR starters is also signed for two more years.

Pearsall began 49ers training camp on the team’s active/NFI list due to a hamstring injury, doing so after he had participated in offseason workouts in a limited capacity. The former Aiyuk college teammate had then sustained a partially dislocated shoulder that kept him out for weeks. His recent experience certainly minimizes those minor maladies, and the 49ers will begin their season without the rookie, whose recovery will become a central storyline for the defending NFC champions.

Brandon Aiyuk Showed Interest In Being Traded To Commanders

September 1st, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The runaway leader in generating rumors among this year’s pack of disgruntled wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk is finally locked down. The 49ers have the 2023 second-team All-Pro tied to a four-year, $120MM agreement, ending trade rumors and tethering the ascending player to San Francisco through the 2028 season.

As fallout pieces surface, however, Aiyuk is now believed to have added a team to his list of acceptable trade destinations. In addition to Aiyuk’s long-rumored interest in being traded to the Steelers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted during a recent NFL Live appearance the fifth-year veteran would have been willing to be dealt to the Commanders.

Washington rosters the starting quarterback Aiyuk played with to close out his college career — Jayden Daniels — and Aiyuk communication with his former teammate generated headlines earlier this summer. Aiyuk had told Daniels during a video call the 49ers did not “want him back, I swear.” It took the parties more than two months from that point to hammer out an extension, and trade rumors swirled late in the process. The Commanders came up as a fringe Aiyuk destination; it does not seem they truly entered the fray.

The NFC East team did not show notable interest in acquiring Aiyuk, Fowler adds. The Commanders not being involved in the Aiyuk sweepstakes led to a 49ers-or-Steelers decision for the fifth-year wideout, who had effectively shut down potential trades to the Patriots or Browns.

Pittsburgh still loomed as a possible destination late in the process, but San Francisco would have been shorthanded at receiver thanks to Denver rejecting a third-round offer for Courtland Sutton. The 49ers had viewed the longtime Broncos pass catcher as a potential replacement for Aiyuk, in the event talks reached the point of no return and the 2020 first-round pick was indeed traded to the Steelers.

Washington enters the season with questions at receiver beyond veteran No. 1 Terry McLaurin. The team traded 2022 first-rounder Jahan Dotson to the Eagles in a pick-swap package headlined by a 2025 third-rounder. Noah Brown became the latest ex-Cowboy to join Dan Quinn in Washington, doing so after the Texans cut him. The Commanders drafted Luke McCaffrey in Round 3, but the second-generation NFL wideout has yet to establish himself as a surefire starter. Washington also carries fourth-year player Dyami Brown and veterans Jamison Crowder, Olamide Zaccheaus and Byron Pringle on what is presently a seven-receiver depth chart.

San Francisco’s offer had been on the table for a while, with the sides ironing out minor details near the end. Successfully convincing the 49ers to up their price — from the $26-$27MM-per-year range — Aiyuk was pleased with the deal’s frontloaded structure. These four-year, $120MM numbers match where the Dolphins went for Tyreek Hill in 2022, but Miami had included an inflated final-year salary to inflate the AAV to $30MM. Aiyuk, conversely, signed a true $30MM-per-year contract that includes $47MM due by April 2025. The latter component helped drive this deal past the goal line, Fowler adds.

Although the 49ers gave Aiyuk what appeared an ultimatum earlier this week, the player also wanted this matter finally done in order to avoid missing regular-season games. Of course, it is debatable if Aiyuk would have followed through with turning his hold-in strategy into missed regular-season contests (and game checks exceeding $820K). Trent Williams appears ready to execute this strategy, but Aiyuk is not in the same earnings bracket as the former Washington top-five pick.

As Aiyuk ramps up toward another starring role in San Francisco’s offense, Washington looks to have a multi-offseason project ahead to better equip Daniels with pass-catching weaponry.

49ers WR Ricky Pearsall Suffers Gunshot Wound

September 1st, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 1, 1:34pm: More good news is coming from the Pearsall situation. Staff at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital have upgraded rookie wide receiver to fair condition, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reports.

12:28pm: Pearsall’s mother, Erin Pearsall, provided an encouraging update on Facebook this morning (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Per Erin Pearsall, the bullet entered Ricky’s chest and exited through his back without hitting any vital organs. She added that her son is in good spirits.

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area noted that the team had its traditional party to celebrate the 53-man roster at head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s house last night, which obviously suggests the club is optimistic about a full recovery for the first-round wideout.

AUGUST 31, 10:00pm: A statement from the 49ers confirms Pearsall’s injury was indeed to the chest. He remains in serious but stable condition.

8:30pm: Pearsall suffered a through and through injury to his arm, Cunningham’s colleague Kirsten Moran-Kellar clarifies in an update. It was the suspect who appears to have been shot in the chest. Pearsall has already spoken with police about the incident, and further developments on his condition will be provided as they become available.

7:02pm: Rookie 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot during an attempted robbery on Saturday. The incident took place in San Francisco’s Union Square, as first reported by Dion Lim of KGO-TV.

Providing further details on the matter, NBC Bay Area’s Gia Vang adds that Pearsall is in stable condition. Local law enforcement has stated the suspect, a 17-year-old male, is in custody. As further information on the incident emerges, the fact Pearsall is stable and receiving treatment is of course an encouraging sign.

A statement from the San Francisco Police Department notes that Pearsall, 23, was shot in the chest while on his way to a signing event. A struggle for the gun took place, and both he and the suspect were shot (h/t Sean Cunningham of Fox40). In addition to Pearsall, the suspect is in the hospital in stable condition.

Pearsall began his college career at Arizona State, spending three years there and showing promise during the 2021 campaign in particular. He transferred to Florida and played two seasons with the Gators, taking a step forward in terms of production both years. After averaging 20 yards per reception in 2022, Pearsall posted career highs in catches (65) and yards (965) last year.

That helped him confirm his status as one of the top receivers in a deep 2024 draft class. Pearsall was selected with the No. 31 pick, adding him to a 49ers receiver room which has been at the heart of considerable speculation during the offseason. San Francisco entertained trade offers for both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but neither were dealt. Aiyuk’s drawn-out efforts to land an extension came to a conclusion earlier this week, while Samuel is under contract for two more years.

Samuel has added another positive update on Pearsall’s condition. The latter dealt with hamstring and shoulder injuries during his first NFL offseason, and he was limited in training camp. Pearsall was also sidelined for the entire preseason after dealing with multiple shoulder subluxations during the summer. That same ailment occurred during his college career, but it did not result in missed time. Needless to say, this injury will have Pearsall sidelined for a stretch.

49ers’ Talanoa Hufanga Returns To Practice

September 1st, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Rory Parks

49ers fans received some good news during final roster cutdowns this week, as the club elected to activate safety Talanoa Hufanga from the PUP list. The even better news is that Hufanga has returned to practice, as David Lombardi of The Athletic writes (subscription required).

Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in November, and if he had not been activated, he would have begun the season on the reserve/PUP list and would have therefore been forced to miss at least the first four weeks of the campaign. He was indeed mentioned as a candidate for the reserve/PUP list, but San Francisco saw enough progress to believe that he could be ready for game action sooner rather than later.

Lombardi cautions that Hufanga’s return to the practice field does not necessarily mean that the 2022 First Team All-Pro will see a full snap share right away. After all, he only participated in individual drills during his first two practice sessions, with the team hoping to ramp up his activities this week.

Plus, the Niners gave themselves a little protection on the back end of their defense by adding veteran Tracy Walker to the taxi squad after finalizing their 53-man roster. Walker signed with the club early last month, was released during final cuts, and was brought back to the p-squad shortly thereafter with the goal of elevating him for the Week 1 contest against the Jets (thereby suggesting that San Francisco will need an extra safety at least for that game).

Per Lombardi, Walker will not start even if Hufanga is unavailable for the season opener, with rookie fourth-rounder Malik Mustapha and veteran George Odum likely to see more reps. While Mustapha has built some momentum for himself, all of those players are presently placeholders for Hufanga, who is entering a contract year and who could set himself up for a lucrative payday if he is fully healthy and can continue performing as he did in 2022 and prior to his injury in 2023.

“He’s really worked his butt off,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said of Hufanga. “Hearing how he’s gone through this process, I’m not surprised just because of who he is. I think everybody involved with it — but him primarily — the way that he worked to get back to this, it’s exciting and really happy for him.”

As Lombardi notes, the 49ers also welcomed new acquisition Isaac Yiadom back to practice. Yiadom, who figures to see plenty of reps at cornerback this year, had been battling an ankle injury throughout the second half of training camp.

Browns Offered Brandon Aiyuk $30MM Per Year; Latest On 49ers’ Process

August 30th, 2024 at 10:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos may have overtaken the Browns in terms of Brandon Aiyuk relevance, as their decision to turn down a 49ers offer for Courtland Sutton may well have triggered a chain reaction that cost the Steelers their chance at the All-Pro wide receiver.

Weeks before Aiyuk finally accepted San Francisco’s $30MM-per-year offer, he is believed to have received the same AAV proposal from the Browns, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link). The Browns did not last too long as an Aiyuk suitor, but as the 49ers let the contract-seeking wideout speak with other teams to gauge his market, Cleveland’s offer outflanked Pittsburgh’s.

[RELATED: Browns Still Open To Amari Cooper Extension]

Not reported to have submitted Aiyuk an extension offer worth more than $28MM per year, the Steelers indeed checked in south of that point. They were at $27.7MM per annum, Rapoport adds. That would have placed Aiyuk behind Jaylen Waddle and ahead of D.J. Moore. When it all wrapped, Aiyuk surpassed both on a frontloaded agreement. He is now the NFL’s sixth $30MM-AAV receiver.

Browns-49ers talks occurred in early August, at the same point the player’s camp was negotiating with the Patriots and Steelers. Trade framework with both Cleveland and New England emerged. Aiyuk’s AFC negotiations still led him back to the table with the 49ers, but not before the Browns had made an interesting offer.

Cleveland is believed to have dangled Amari Cooper, along with second- and fifth-round picks, for Aiyuk. With Cooper in a contract year, the Browns were planning to have Aiyuk at $30MM per annum and Jerry Jeudy at $17.5MM a year. It will be interesting to see if Cooper’s camp, which could not secure an extension this offseason, uses this Aiyuk offer in future negotiations. With the Browns probably not eager to acquire a player who did not want to land in Cleveland, the trade ended up on the cutting-room floor; Aiyuk is believed to have shown little interest in the Browns or Patriots.

The Pats indeed offered $32MM per year, Rapoport confirms. That led the pack in terms of extension offers, and it marked a stark deviation from how the organization proceeded under Bill Belichick. But Eliot Wolf has signed off on a spree of extensions and re-signings for Belichick-era pieces this year. The team also made a strong effort to sign Calvin Ridley in free agency, only to see the Titans come out victorious. The Ridley and Aiyuk pursuits reflected where the Pats believe they are deficient, and they will go into Drake Maye‘s rookie year with an undermanned group — albeit one including second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk.

As for the Browns, they have made trades for Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy over the past two offseasons. Those two will join Cooper, whose contract issue eventually produced an incentive package. Cooper remains a 2025 free agent-to-be. The high-end route runner would have made for an interesting 49ers addition, and the sides could have worked out a contract. Though, Cooper is four years older than Aiyuk. Part of the reason the 49ers wanted to re-up the 2020 first-rounder stemmed from his prime being ahead of him. Cooper already has seven 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, but he will naturally decline earlier.

Cooper also has a superior resume to Sutton, who would have made for a different type of Brock Purdy target compared to Aiyuk. More of a jump-ball threat and possession receiver, the 28-year-old Denver wideout is coming off a 10-touchdown year. The Broncos clearly want the seventh-year pass catcher, who remains on a team-friendly deal that runs through 2025, to help the team develop Bo Nix.

None of these teams would have been relevant in the Aiyuk negotiations had the 49ers hammered out a deal early this offseason. While it is not exactly fair to penalize the NFC West club for not completing a deal before the Lions extended Amon-Ra St. Brown in April, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds the team’s initial offer in the $27MM-per-year neighborhood would have gotten a deal done before the Lions wideout cashed in at $30.01MM per annum.

By July, the 49ers still stood at $27MM per year. We heard the team upped its offer in early August. By August 12, it is believed the $30MM-AAV proposal was on the table. Aiyuk managed to skip two more weeks’ worth of practice, but the sides finally reached an agreement. After the comments of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch this week, Rapoport adds the 49ers essentially gave Aiyuk an ultimatum: either agree to the team’s offer or take the Steelers trade.

San Francisco did not only contact Denver about an escape-hatch wide receiver; the team made calls to several other teams about pass catchers, Rapoport adds. It is not known if the 49ers offered a third-rounder to any other team, but the Broncos — perhaps a sign for Sutton’s potential pre-deadline availability — are the only known team to pass on being the third party in what would have essentially been a three-team trade.

The 49ers were always the favorites here, but Aiyuk having interest in Cleveland or New England would have made matters more interesting due to the extension offers both clubs made.

49ers, WR Brandon Aiyuk Agree To Deal

August 30th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 30: Full details on the Aiyuk pact are in, courtesy of Florio. The frontloaded compensation includes a $23MM signing bonus, $11MM of which will be paid out in the next two weeks. His 2025 earnings are made up of $20.88MM in base salary, roster and workout bonuses which are guaranteed at signing. Another $4MM will be locked in on April 1 of that year. Altogether, this deal consists of $45MM fully guaranteed, with the $76MM total guarantee figure set to emerge not long after the 2025 league year begins.

Aiyuk’s 2026 salary ($1.22MM) and per-game roster bonuses ($750K) are guaranteed for injury at signing and will fully vest one year early. Notably, his salaries for 2027 and ’28 – $27.27MM and $29.15MM – are not guaranteed, so the 49ers will be able to get out of the contract in either of those seasons (an unlikely development, given his age and production) barring adjustments being made down the road via restructures. Aiyuk’s 2024 cap number will drop to $5.73MM, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

AUGUST 29: Months of negotiating drama with Brandon Aiyuk, which featured trade talks with a few teams and an eventual trade agreement, defined the 49ers’ offseason. But the saga will end with a peaceful resolution. Aiyuk is not going anywhere, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reporting an extension is in place.

The 49ers have agreed to terms with Aiyuk on a four-year, $120MM deal, which Garafolo and Rapoport indicate includes $76MM guaranteed. This process will end closer to Aiyuk’s believed price point than San Francisco’s, but the defending NFC champs will have the second-team All-Pro back at work soon.

Aiyuk held in for 38 days, but as the 49ers did with Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, a late-summer extension will bring a close to this chapter. Though, this was a more memorable saga than those involving Bosa and Samuel. Aiyuk is now signed through 2028, and this agreement suddenly brings Samuel’s Bay Area future — post-2024, that is — into question.

It looks as though the sides are meeting in the middle. Rather than sign a three-year deal like Samuel did in 2022, Aiyuk will be under 49ers control for four seasons beyond 2024. Instead of the $26-$27MM-per-year price point San Francisco — and would-be trade partner Pittsburgh — initially landed on, Aiyuk will become the NFL’s sixth $30MM-per-year wideout. Long seeking a deal at $30MM per, Aiyuk joins Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyreek Hill in this club, one that expanded from one to six this offseason.

Lamb’s extension may not have driven the 49ers’ talks across the goal line, as he and Jefferson are on a higher plane in terms of AAV and guarantees. But the market is effectively set for 2024, unless the Bengals make an unexpected deal with Ja’Marr Chase before 2025. This 49ers agreement coming to fruition less than two weeks before the season will wrap one of more voluminous sagas in PFR history.

This is a frontloaded deal, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who reports the contract includes $90MM over the first three years. This helps cover for Aiyuk not reaching guarantees past $80MM — a long-rumored ask. Although Aiyuk is now contracted through his age-30 season, he should have another chance — should the 2020 first-rounder’s career remain on this trajectory — to cash in on a big-ticket deal in his prime. Aiyuk, 26, will receive $47MM between now and April 1, 2025, Rapoport adds.

Considering the fight Aiyuk put up, it does appear a bit strange his $76MM guarantee number checks in only in a tie for sixth (with Jaylen Waddle, who signed a three-year extension) at the position. But the contract’s full guarantees and full payout structure will reveal the detailed ending to this long-running tale.

San Francisco’s resolution does not appear to have involved an 11th-hour raise, as The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes these numbers have been in place for weeks. Aiyuk, who has watched practices at points and been absent from practice fields at others, now must return to work ahead of the 49ers’ Monday Night Football debut against the Jets. Providing clarity, Schefter adds this offer has been on the table since August 12.

The 49ers have now dispensed with one half of their disgruntled-player contingent, with Trent Williams‘ holdout now moving toward center stage. Williams’ contract issue has a long way to go to catch Aiyuk in terms of updates, with this back-and-forth producing many twists and turns (featuring a few documented meetings) since the parties began negotiating months ago.

For the 49ers, this keeps an essential piece of the puzzle in place. A trade at this juncture would have made it difficult for the team, Kyle Shanahan‘s play-calling acumen notwithstanding, to produce an offense on the level of 2023’s machine. The 49ers have now extended Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey this year; Samuel and George Kittle are under contract through 2025.

Aiyuk is coming off his second straight 1,000-yard season; the Arizona State alum totaled 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns to help Brock Purdy deliver a historic 9.6 yards per attempt in 2023. Under the hood, Aiyuk’s numbers were even better. He ranked third in yards per route run (3.01) last season; this undoubtedly influenced his asking price, with Team Aiyuk effectively capitalizing on the 49ers needing him for another run in 2024. After falling short of 850 yards during each of his first two years, Aiyuk has put it together.

“We believe his best football is ahead of him,” a 49ers exec told veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. “He’s only 26, he’s still learning the intricacies of the position. This is an ascending player. … There’s no reason why he can’t have a similar career as a Davante Adams, for example.”

Aiyuk being offered $30MM per year on August 12 shows how well his camp did, considering the 49ers were at $26-$27MM per annum before that point. This all came after the 49ers let Aiyuk shop around. Despite a reported Patriots offer north of where this 49ers deal ended up, Aiyuk did not want to be dealt to New England. The Browns put Amari Cooper, along with second- and fifth-round picks, on the table; Aiyuk expressed disappointment in a Cleveland destination. Even the Commanders, who drafted ex-Aiyuk college QB Jayden Daniels, hovered on the Aiyuk periphery.

Playing for Mike Tomlin appealed to Aiyuk, but the Steelers’ offer did not exceed $28MM per year. This prompted the disgruntled receiver to return to the table with 49ers brass, and only minor details remained to be ironed out in recent days. Even though Pittsburgh’s contract offer was not quite what Aiyuk sought, the sides agreed on trade framework. This became a backup plan, though Aiyuk had long viewed San Francisco as his top choice. John Lynch had also continued to convey a desire for Aiyuk to be in the fold long term, and the 49ers’ top-level skill-position crew (now featuring first-round pick Ricky Pearsall) now has at least one more season to play together.

The Steelers falling short for Aiyuk spotlights a thin skill corps post-Diontae Johnson. George Pickens remains the top target for Tomlin’s team, and Pat Freiermuth looms as an extension candidate. Now-starter Russell Wilson, though, does not have much else of consequence to target. The team will need third-round rookie Roman Wilson, who missed training camp time due to injury, to step up early — barring a late-summer or in-season trade, that is.

Even though Pittsburgh’s receiver development has shined for many years, the team’s current setup — which also features ex-Rams and Falcons contributor Van Jefferson — appears thin. This is the ending the Steelers anticipated, however, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.

A champagne problem is approaching for the 49ers. With Aiyuk now signed and a Brock Purdy extension on the team’s 2025 radar, the prospect of Samuel’s future comes into focus. The 49ers may well be in trade talks again with a high-end wide receiver next year. Samuel will be 29 ahead of his 2025 contract year, and with Pearsall on a rookie deal for a while, he would be a more logical complement to his former Arizona State teammate — assuming Purdy is indeed extended — than Samuel, who joined Aiyuk in draft-weekend trade talks.

That is a down-the-road issue for the 49ers, who have managed to avoid what would have been an odd trade based on their trajectory. The team, which has continued to fall short in Super Bowls and NFC championship games, has retained the nucleus that pushed the Chiefs near double overtime in Super Bowl LVIII. Aiyuk will again be in place to help Purdy and Co. navigate that elusive hurdle this season.

49ers Made Offer For Broncos WR Courtland Sutton

August 29th, 2024 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brandon Aiyuk‘s 49ers drama is over; the long-running extension saga ended with a $30MM-per-year deal. But the Steelers loom as the second-place finishers. Pittsburgh not having a wide receiver to send to San Francisco hurt its chances, as the 49ers understandably wanted an immediate replacement.

A workaround formed for the 49ers during the trade chapter — which featured framework with the Steelers — of this offseason-overshadowing Aiyuk drama. The defending NFC champions offered the Broncos a third-round pick for Courtland Sutton, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but Denver declined.

For all intents and purposes, this would have been akin to a three-team trade. The 49ers would have then traded Aiyuk to the Steelers, Russini implies, with the Broncos suddenly playing a central role in the “what if?” Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh scenario. The Pittsburgh component also includes the team offering the 49ers second- and third-round picks for Aiyuk, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports. The Sutton piece of this puzzle would have involved the Pittsburgh third going to Denver.

Had the Sutton offer produced a deal, the 49ers would have been better positioned to send Aiyuk to the Steelers. With the Broncos keeping Sutton as their top wideout — after a Browns deal involving Amari Cooper fell through — the 49ers were in a tougher spot with Aiyuk. The parties returned to the table and hammered out an extension that locks in fifth-year standout through 2028.

Considering the Broncos unloaded Jerry Jeudy for fifth- and sixth-round picks, this seemingly would have been a tempting proposal. Sutton was acquired before Sean Payton‘s arrival, and only $2MM in guarantees remain on his through-2025 deal. Sutton has also been a trade-rumor mainstay since before the 2022 deadline. Denver holding off here suggests the team wants a proven target around Bo Nix, as a future Sutton trade proposal may well not include third-round compensation.

While Pittsburgh has only George Pickens as a proven starter-level receiver, the team did draft Roman Wilson in Round 3. The Steelers have turned several Day 2 wideouts into promising receivers, with Antonio Brown coming from Day 3. This edition, now featuring ex-Broncos QB Russell Wilson at the controls, looks to include Van Jefferson as Pickens’ top complement. It would have been out of character for the Steelers to bring in an outside receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber (and pay him the $27MM-plus-per-year deal they proposed), but it does look like the Omar Khan-led operation was close to doing so. It needed some help the Broncos were unwilling to provide.

San Francisco’s offer comes nearly 18 months after Denver nearly dealt Sutton to Baltimore. The Ravens were on the verge of acquiring Sutton in March 2023 but backed out and signed Odell Beckham Jr. The Broncos, who had set a second-round asking price on Sutton and a first-rounder on Jeudy last year, went back to the well with the two John Elway-era WR additions. Sutton overtook Jeudy as Russell Wilson’s top target, catching 10 touchdown passes — including a few acrobatic grabs — to help the team recover from a 1-5 start.

Jeudy is now in Cleveland; he may well have become Aiyuk’s Browns complementary piece, with the 49ers wideout nixing a trade that would have sent Cooper to San Francisco. Both Cooper and Sutton expressed disappointment in their contracts this offseason, though their respective teams agreed on mere incentive packages. Despite this low-key end to Denver’s Sutton talks, the team appears to value the 2018 second-rounder in Payton’s second year.

Russini’s report also pours some cold water on the Broncos unloading Sutton before the trade deadline. Denver just cut Tim Patrick, who had run with its starters for much of camp and the preseason, but has Sutton in place as its wideout anchor. The team will attempt to develop recent draftees Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, as Josh Reynolds is now in place as veteran support. But Sutton, who is entering his age-29 season, will be relied upon to boost Nix’s rookie-year development.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

August 29th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

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