STATELINE, Nev. — Jerry Rice loves playing golf with fellow celebrities annually here in the American Century Championship.
He doesn’t love how the 49ers look with training camp approaching.
“I just feel like we added on too many pieces. The reason why I say that is these guys are young guys,” Rice said Thursday. “Super Bowl 60 is going to be here in San Francisco (at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara). I would have preferred to sort of leave everything like last year, add on to that, and have a chance for this coming year.”
Rather than return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season, the 49ers went 6-11 in an injury-plagued 2024 season, prompting sweeping changes to their roster, especially on defense.
“A lot of young guys. Now, can Kyle Shanahan pull it together and can these guys jell? We have to wait and see,” Rice said. “But there’s this big question mark if it’s going to work.
“I’m always going to go Niners no matter what. But we’re bringing in so many young players. It’s going to take a while for that team to jell. If it doesn’t happen this year, then maybe the next couple of years.”
Here are key topics Rice covered before Thursday’s pro-am round and Friday’s 8:57 a.m. tee time as a 350-to-1 longshot:
BRANDON AIYUK’S REHAB
A key factor in the 49ers’ upcoming season will be wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s comeback from knee reconstruction, having torn his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments last October.
Rice sustained ACL and MCL tears in the 1997 season opener and rushed back before injuring his patella in December that season.
His advice to Aiyuk: “Don’t rush it.”
“He’s going to want to prove to everyone, ‘Hey look, I’m back.’ It’s going to take some time for him,” Rice said. “I’d rely on those other guys to do most of the work and just blend him back in.”
DEFENSIVE CHANGES
Do the 49ers need their star-studded offense to go big and cover for the young defense under once-again coordinator Robert Saleh?
Rice responded: “I feel like you win championships with defense. Maybe that’s why they brought Robert back. If that defense can get rolling like it did the last couple of years when he was around, I think we have a legitimate chance.
“The offense is going to take a while to catch up. You want the offense toward the end working on all cylinders. If that happens now, everything is good to go.”
Rice reiterated that it will take time for young defenders to blossom. “And even though Robert is the ultimate defensive coordinator, these guys actually have to get on the field and play,” Rice said.
NAME DROPPING
Related Articles
49ers’ George Kittle is immediate crowd favorite in ACC celebrity golf debut 49ers WR Demarcus Robinson pleads no contest to misdemeanor DUI How to watch Steph Curry, George Kittle and other celebrities at the American Century Championship golf tournament in Tahoe With another Tight End U in the books, 49ers star George Kittle takes aim at first Tahoe golf tourney Levi’s Stadium security uses Gold Cup as dry run for 2026 World Cup matchesThe 49ers’ offense remains mostly intact, minus Deebo Samuel and Aaron Banks. But Rice noted: “There’s a lot of question marks. We don’t know what’s going to happen with McCaffrey. I would love for George Kittle to stay healthy all season long. We have really good receivers that can make plays. But everything feels like a little of a question mark.”
About those other receivers …
On Jauan Jennings: “I love him. He’s a beast on the field.”
On Ricky Pearsall: “This is his opportunity.”’
On rookie Jordan Watkins: “Everybody is looking good and now it’s whether they can carry that into the season.”
SUPER BOWL ICON
Rice, the NFL’s most prolific receiver and touchdown scorer of all time, is hoping to have a role related to Super Bowl LX, which will be held Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium. “I’m hoping to be an ambassador to Super Bowl LX and I’m hoping my Niners are in Super Bowl LX.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 49ers legend Jerry Rice concerned with Aiyuk comeback, defense’s youth movement )
Also on site :