NFC Notes: Brandon Aiyuk, Kyler Murray, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk didn’t sugarcoat the fact that contract talks between San Francisco and himself have remained far apart over the last month during a recent podcast appearance.

“Throughout this process, there have been times when we’re super close,” Aiyuk said. “I’m telling my agent ‘Let me get my suit ready, I’ve got to get it back to the Bay. I got to get right to sign that contract.’ There’s days and times, like in the past month or so, where you could say we’re pretty far apart.”

“They told me that they didn’t think that we were on the same page and that they didn’t believe that we were going to,” Aiyuk added. “And that was about it at that time. But it’s part of it. It’s part of the contract negotiations, trying to sway stuff in either direction. So whether that’s 100 percent true or not, I guess that’s still to find out.”

• Aiyuk discussed what team he believes he will play for in 2024: “If I were to take a guess, probably a Niner uniform. Probably a Niner uniform. If not a Niners uniform, probably a Washington Commanders uniform. If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably a Steelers uniform.” (The Pivot Podcast)
• According to ESPN, Aiyuk “for sure” wants to remain in San Francisco. 

Cardinals

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray reflected on ups and downs of his career over the last few years and is excited to be healthy going into 2024. 

“It’s the natural maturation of life,” Murray said, via Darren Urban of the team’s site. “Going into Year Six, am I excited? Hell yeah, I’m excited. I feel good. Just to be healthy again is a blessing. Yes, I believe in what we can do.”

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon pointed out this is really his first offseason with Murray given he was recovering from a torn ACL last year. 

“In my mind it’s my first offseason with him,” Gannon said. “We are going into Year Two but this really is Year One offseason where I see him on the field with everybody, weight room with everybody. His game is going to go to another level. I know it is.”

Murray feels an added layer of confidence going into his second season under Gannon and OC Drew Petzing. 

“Confidence and understanding where to go with the ball and knowing what (the coaches) are doing, because I have been in the system a year, when you feel like that, the sky is the limit,” Murray said. “I’ve played QB my whole life, and when you’re at that point – and I really can’t explain it – it’s a good feeling.”

Rams

Rams RB Kyren Williams discussed what went into his breakout second season after a quiet rookie year and said that he’s been training this offseason in order to have a productive third season.

“Just coming off my rookie year, I knew what to expect, you know? There weren’t any more surprises for me going forward,” Williams said, via PFT. “I knew that I just had to work. There wasn’t really anything else for me to do. I had a point to prove and that was only going to get proven by the work I put in. And so coming into that second year, I was confident more than ever because I had put in the work. I went home, I went to St. Louis, I came down to Florida — I did the things I had to do to get ready for camp. And then so I just knew that whenever my time was called, I was going to do the things that I’ve done my whole life. So, this was not a surprise for me. It took a while — everything does. Now this year, I’m just going to keep grinding like I’m still trying to get to that point where I want to be.”