Brandon Aiyuk

Brock Purdy's struggles during a Super Bowl LVIII rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday could force the San Francisco 49ers to make a tough decision.

After Purdy threw three interceptions during a 28-18 loss to the Chiefs, one NFL executive suggested the idea of a potential trade instead of an extension for the quarterback.

"They need to make a decision about whether they should just be moving on from this older core and building around Purdy, or do they trade Purdy, get stuff for him and go with a cheaper option at quarterback?" the executive said, per Mike Sando of The Athletic.

Following San Francisco's loss to Kansas City, the team fell to 3-4. It's a disappointing result for a squad coming off a Super Bowl appearance, with Purdy's inconsistency becoming an early theme of the season.

The 24-year-old finished 17-of-31 for 212 yards in addition to the aforementioned trio of interceptions on Sunday. Purdy added 27 rush yards and two touchdowns on the ground, though.

As a former seventh-round pick, Purdy carries a cap hit of just $1 million for the 2024 season and has allowed the 49ers to hand out long-term extensions to top players such as Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey (via Spotrac). He may become much more expensive for San Francisco, as he's eligible for an extension during the 2025 offseason.

Purdy is completing a career-low 63.9 percent of his passes this year, averaging 263 yards per game through the air. He's also tossed nine touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.

It may be too early for general manager John Lynch to realistically entertain Purdy trades, as the 49ers are still within striking distance of a potential playoff appearance as they attempt to defend their NFC title.

However, questions surrounding a potential trade will continue to surface if the quarterback is unable to turn his season around.

San Francisco 49ers star wideout Deebo Samuel left his team's home game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday with an illness and was later ruled out.

Word emerged right before kickoff via ESPN's Adam Schefter that Samuel would try to play through the illness.

However, Samuel only played a few snaps before leaving the game for good.

The 49ers were already without wide receiver Jauan Jennings (hip injury). They also lost wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk with a right knee injury after a low hit. He was carted off the field.

Samuel, 28, is no stranger to injuries. He already missed one game this season with a calf injury, while he missed two games last season due to injury and was banged up during the postseason as he dealt with a shoulder issue. The Niners went just 1-3 last season in games where Samuel played 10 or fewer snaps.

He also missed four games in the 2022 campaign.

When healthy, Samuel has been one of the truly unique dual-threat weapons in football. Last season, he caught 60 passes for 892 yards and seven scores, adding 225 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

The addition of Christian McCaffrey and emergence of Brandon Aiyuk meant that Samuel was relied upon less heavily in recent seasons, but he remains a key playmaker for the Niners and one of the more dangerous weapons in football.

And this season, with McCaffrey missing significant time, Samuel has been utilized heavily, posting 20 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown while adding 51 yards on the ground and an additional score.

There aren't many players in football with his unique skill set, so he isn't easily replaced in San Francisco. Hopefully he gets well soon and returns for next Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Outside of Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings, the 49ers' wideout depth chart notably features Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk might have suffered a significant injury in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game the team fears a torn ACL:

Aiyuk left Sunday's game with a knee injury and was ruled out with a knee injury.

The wideout visited the medical tent before eventually being carted off the field during the first half of the team's Week 7 matchup.

Prior to exiting, Aiyuk had made two catches for 23 yards.

While being carted off, Aiyuk pointed to his right knee when communicating with San Francisco's medical staff.

Aiyuk has 23 catches for 351 yards thus far in 2024 and is a key piece of the 49ers offense. Losing him for an extended stretch would be a major blow for a team that currently sits at 3-4 and hopes to return to the Super Bowl.

Deebo Samuel also left the Chiefs game with an illness, while Jauan Jennings was out with a hip injury. It leaves rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing among the top remaining options at the position.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly trying to position themselves to trade for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted that after the Steelers missed out on an offseason deal for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers, they are making an "aggressive offer" for Adams and have been in touch with the Raiders.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported this week that Adams would like to be traded and favors a move to the New York Jets since he would be reunited with his former Green Bay Packers teammate in quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

However, Rapoport also named several other teams that have either reached out to the Raiders or that Adams would be happy to play for, and the Steelers were among them.

Pittsburgh is off to a surprising 3-1 start this season thanks largely to a dominant defense tha ranks second in the NFL in scoring defense and fourth in total defense.

The Steelers have also gotten solid play out of quarterback Justin Fields, who is in his first year with the franchise following a trade from the Chicago Bears.

Fields was initially tabbed to be the Steelers' backup, but veteran Russell Wilson suffered a calf injury prior to the start of the regular season, and he has yet to appear in a game.

While his numbers aren't spectacular, Fields is completing a career-best 70.6 percent of his passes for 830 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 145 yards and three scores.

Steelers No. 1 wideout George Pickens leads the team in receptions (20) and receiving yardage (284), but the Steelers haven't gotten much production from the rest of their wide receivers.

Calvin Austin is second on the team among wide receivers with seven catches and 125 yards, and no other wideout has more than five catches or 36 yards.

When Pittsburgh traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers during the offseason, it left the Steelers with a massive hole at the WR2 spot opposite Pickens.

Adams would perhaps be the perfect candidate to fill that role given that the 31-year-old veteran is a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro who entered this season with four straight 1,000-yard seasons and six consecutive Pro Bowl selections to his credit.

It is fair to wonder, though, if Adams would want to go to a team with an unsettled quarterback situation given that is what he is already dealing with in Vegas with Gardner Minshew struggling and Aidan O'Connell waiting in the wings.

Fields is the starter for now in Pittsburgh, but if Wilson gets healthy, head coach Mike Tomlin could make a change at any time.

Also, Fields hasn't exactly put big-time passing numbers up throughout his career, although he did have a great connection last season in Chicago with D.J. Moore, who finished with a career-high 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ultimately, Adams does not have a no-trade clause, so if the Steelers make the Raiders a better offer than any other team, Adams technically can't block the trade.

However, if Adams makes it clear he doesn't want to play in Pittsburgh, the Steelers may be wary of bringing in a disgruntled player.

The Los Angeles Rams had to pay a hefty fine following an incident in their Week 4 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the organization had been fined $100,000 for an incident following the game in which an inactive Rams player shoved 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Derion Kendrick was fined $5,653 for unsportsmanlike conduct. He is currently on the team's injured reserve. Kamren Kinchens was also fined $55,653.

Kinchens was fined for the actual hit on Aiyuk, which would have officially downed the receiver. He drove his shoulder into Aiyuk, and Kendrick eventually shoved Aiyuk after he had already gotten up.

Kinchens was a third-round pick in 2024 while Kendrick was a sixth-round pick in 2022 and is in his third season with the franchise. Kendrick tore his ACL in July.

The Rams improved to 1-2 with the win and earned a second straight victory over the division rival. While the fine will be a tough pill to swallow for the franchise, it at least came after a big win. If nothing else, it will be a teaching moment for both players.

The Rams will look to get to .500 on Sunday when they face the Chicago Bears.

Tensions flared at the end of the Los Angeles Rams' 27-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

After the final play of the game that nearly resulted in an improbable touchdown for San Francisco, 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk exchanged shoves with members of the Rams' sideline.

After earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season, the 49ers have now lost two of their first three games to begin their 2024 campaign.

The Rams trailed 24-14 just over halfway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, but they were able to tie the game with less than two minutes left in regulation.

Los Angeles secured one more possession, earning the team's first lead of the day with a go-ahead field goal from Joshua Karty on the ensuing drive.

Aiyuk hauled in just five of his 10 targets for 48 yards against the Rams, failing to find the end zone. It's been a slow start to the season for the 26-year-old, recording just 119 yards and zero touchdowns through three appearances.

He still took some time to call out San Francisco's NFC West rival before the game, referring to 49ers fans filling up SoFi Stadium.

"We love going to play down there," Aiyuk told reporters on Wednesday. "We love seeing all the red down there, a little home, home dome stadium. So, we're excited."

After racking up 1,342 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 before subsequently signing a four-year contract extension worth $120 million, the former first-round pick has underperformed to start the year.

With the 49ers and Rams both attempting to return to the playoffs, there doesn't appear to be any love lost between the two teams. They'll face off once again in Week 15.

We all predicted Jauan Jennings would be the Week 3 fantasy football MVP, right?

Right? Hello? Is this thing on?

The San Francisco 49ers wideout completely toasted the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, pulling down three touchdown passes and rewarding savvy—and perhaps a bit lucky—fantasy enthusiasts who started him with playmakers like San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, wideout Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle out injured.

The veteran wideout led the Niners in catches (11), yards (175), touchdown receptions (three) and targets (12) on the day, outshining Brandon Aiyuk (five catches for 43 yards on 10 targets).

He also had this absolutely ridiculous catch:

So here's the question: Is any of this sustainable?

And the answer is that it depends entirely on the injury status of the aforementioned McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle.

Those three are guaranteed to soak up targets and touches, alongside Aiyuk, which would revert Jennings back to the fringes of the offense. Jennings is a solid player, but his three touchdowns on Sunday were more than he had in the 2022-23 seasons combined. He's never had more than 35 catches in a season or reached 500 receiving yards.

Now, if you need some short-term help, Jennings is a fantastic target on waivers. McCaffrey doesn't seem likely to be back for another month or so, while Samuel might miss a handful of games. Kittle feels more likely to be back sooner than that pair, which could eat into Jennings' targets somewhat, but he would still be the second or third option in a dangerous Niners' passing game.

And clearly, Brock Purdy trusts him.

So, to review: If you need a short-term fix on your roster and Jennings is still available, he's a solid addition. Don't expect him to replicate Sunday's epic performance, but he should still be a viable flex option while the Niners remain beat up on offense.

If you are looking for long-term solutions, however, search elsewhere. Jennings loses the majority of his fantasy value once San Francisco's stars are back in action.