They did last year. Twice. Tell us about that experience.

Last season, the San Francisco 49ers played the maximum number of primetime games. That’ll likely be the case as long as the organization continues to make deep annual playoff runs.

However, there was a curveball. The Niners played on Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Turkey Day, Kyle Shanahan and company squared off against their rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. The build-up to the Week 16 matchup was fun as we had the best teams in both conferences square off.

As we prepare for the NFL’s schedule release, we asked on Monday what...

By choice? Or did the market dictate that decision?

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed a previous report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Tuesday. In his “Key intel on all 32 teams after the draft” article, Fowler’s portion of the 49ers discussed the position that we discussed all April: Wide receiver.

Once Thursday passed, we had an idea that Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t leaving the Bay Area. Fowler likened Aiyuk’s situation to A.J. Brown’s before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles:

Multiple teams told me they had interest in Brandon Aiyuk, but they believed the 49ers wanted a first-round pick...

Pearsall is in good company

Reception Perception is a service that grades wide receivers, which is spearheaded by Yahoo Sports’ analyst Matt Harmon and gives data on the percentage of routes run, success rate on routes run, percentage of routes against man and zone, and success rate against all coverages. Harmon has released his college prospects rankings from 2021-2024.

The newest 49ers receiver, Ricky Pearsall, ranks 18th on this list between Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens and new Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey.

Names on the full list include Marvin Harrison Jr, Ja’Marr Chase, Rome Odonze, Chris Olave, Devonta Smith,...

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, May 7th, 2024

Barrows: 49ers mailbag: Which rookie is best poised to make a splash? Odd men out at WR? (paywall)

“Narrative 1 is that they are happy with their top three tackles: Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore.

Narrative 2 is that college tackles are ill-prepared for the NFL game, especially the 49ers’ zone-blocking scheme, which few of them play.

Both are legitimate arguments. But they can’t keep looking down their nose at college tackles like they’ve done the last two seasons. It’s not sustainable. If they’d taken...

Brandon Aiyuk was Purdy’s favorite target last season. For him to make plays, somebody has to throw it.

The San Francisco 49ers didn’t throw the ball down the field as often as other teams when you’re arguing based on volume. Brock Purdy finished tied with Tennesee Titans quarterback Will Levis—who appeared in nine games—at 16th in passing attempts over 20 yards during the 2023 season.

Purdy threw for more touchdowns than anybody and finished second in yards per attempt and completion percentage. According to this graph, Purdy is at the high end of the spectrum when it comes to the...

There’s one name that makes sense based on their production last season

It’s been a week since the NFL Draft. Amidst the flurry of grades and evaluations, one pick stood out as particularly controversial. San Francisco 49ers’ first-round selection, Ricky Pearsall, was ESPN’s choice for the most ‘head-scratching’ pick:

Fowler: Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 31. I’m not about to doubt coach Kyle Shanahan’s eye for offensive skill players, and I love Pearsall as a player. But his place as WR6 in this draft was unexpected. Most teams I spoke to pegged him...

Are you a fan of the primetime games, or would you rather get them out of the way?

Late last week, the NFL teased a release about the release of the actual schedule in a 30-second video. In the clip right after the headline of rematches, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was shown right before San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

The NFL’s schedule release marks the final event before the offseason dies down. We’re probably a week away from knowing San Francisco’s full schedule, but we can expect the league to continue to drop hints along...

Speed is everything in today’s NFL

The 49ers used one of their three fourth-round picks on a wide receiver from the University of Arizona. Cowing ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, but his numbers from his final season with the Wildcats suggest that he was more of a possession receiver than a player who stretches the field.

Ninety catches for under 900 yards but 13 touchdowns, with most of those coming inside of the red zone. His profile doesn’t fit the mold of your typical 5’11, 175-pound receiver. It’ll be interesting to see what role Kyle Shanahan believes is best for...

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Monday, May 6th, 2024

Florida Gators writer gives insight into 49ers’ new WR Ricky Pearsall

“Coming into the season, even most Gator fans would have been shocked if Pearsall went in the first round. He transferred in late from Arizona State in 2022, and while his 2022 season was solid, he didn’t get to fully showcase his talents because, frankly, Anthony Richardson wasn’t the greatest at hitting the intermediate routes that Pearsall was running.

But what I will point out for Pearsall is that he came just short of being the first...

Pretty much what we thought.

When the San Francisco 49ers were reported to have a deal done with free agent linebacker Eric Kendricks, it was seen as a great move. They had a question mark with linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s achilles tear and needed some insurance should there be setbacks in recovery.

Then, within hours, Kendricks instead signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

Well, that was sudden. And strange. What gives?

Per the Athletic’s Jon Machota, Kendricks met with reporters for the first time since the signing and elaborated on why he made the decision to choose the Cowboys at the last...

Will it be the team friendly deal or will he reset the market?

Enjoy it, San Francisco 49ers fans. This year we got slapped with the Brandon Aiyuk “will they or won’t they” trade drama, guest starring Deebo Samuel with a cameo from Jauan Jennings. As this winds down (oh please, be over) it’s time to remember it was a reprieve of any quarterback drama in Santa Clara. Don’t think this is the “new” normal, it’s a safe bet to think that craziness will return 2025. That’s because it’s Brock Purdy’s final year of his rookie contract and the point...

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Sunday, May 5th, 2024

Can Dominick Puni Play Right Tackle for the 49ers?

“My guess is Puni won’t start right away as a rookie, but he’ll be the first offensive lineman off the bench. Meaning if a guard gets injured, he’ll be the next man up. And if center Jake Brendel gets injured, Jon Feliciano will move to center and Puni will play right guard.”

Will 49ers CB Renardo Green Start in the Nickel Defense?

“Green is not a developmental prospect — he’ll turn 24 in November. So theoretically he should...