PODCAST: Could the Niners' Free Agency Start be Any Better?
Evans, Kirk ignite the 49ers' receiver room. Hosts debate if this is their ultimate free agency launch, dissecting impact on Purdy and NFC West race.
Video Transcript
Is this the best opening to free agency in the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era?
Are the 49ers done at wide receiver in the draft?
And are the 49ers still on the hunt for a free agent?
Rob Stats-Guerrera and I will talk about all that and more right after this.
I'm Jason Aponte, that is Rob Stats-Guerrera.
This is the Bully Ball Podcast on the Gold Standard Podcast Network, the only 49ers podcast that will not acknowledge the substation.
Rob, what's up, buddy?
Jay, thanks for letting me pinch hit for Steph on today's show.
I gotta tell ya, I spent a long time listening to that George Kittle interview with Bussin' The Boys, and they brought up the substation, and I, it took all the strength in my bones to get through it.
Yeah.
You know, with those interviews, I tend to stay away from them unless there's something And, and if there is something clip-worthy, it'll be on Twitter.
I did wanna say, because I did ment- I did see you mention that in our text message, you know, Ricky Pearsall has his own YouTube channel as well too, and I stumbled upon it, and it was him after, you know It was before the Super Bowl, everything was going on in the Bay.
He went to visit a bunch of kids, and you know, at a school, and he, he, he did a football camp.
That's where that Justin Jefferson clip of him standing next to him and, and everything, and the, and the kid asking about Justin Jefferson.
And then one of the most, I guess, impactful moments was he ran into the cop who f- was the first responder on his, on his shooting again, and the emotions that came out of Ricky Pearsall.
He just started crying immediately, still.
Like, look, I'm not gonna tell you how to feel about being shot.
You know, I don't care how long ago that was, but it just, it, it was something that they have such a special bond, that he just was crying, and she just was like, "Hey, you know, I'm glad you're okay," and everything.
And it, they It was, it was one of the cooler things that I noticed from that video.
I think that, and I Look, I can't speak to this.
This is pure speculation.
But I would imagine he's living his life now doing his thing, but just the sight of her just takes him right back to that moment, and he feels all those emotions and those memories come flooding back.
And I imagine, yeah, I would probably burst into tears too.
It was scary as hell.
He thought he was gonna die.
That's what he kept saying, and he kept saying that, "There, there was nothing that you did that, like, made me feel anything, you know, other than what was going on in my head.
You made me feel better."
Like, you know, it just, it was cool.
So I mean, you know, look, again, Ricky Pearsall doesn't have a big YouTube channel.
YouTube channels aren't for all players.
I would actually implore players to stop starting YouTube channels.
But Ricky Pearsall's channel was fine, and I actually stumbled upon it, so I wanted to pass that along.
He actually did really well with, the stuff that he had going on.
Nonetheless, speaking of wide receivers, we talked all last season about the 49ers and how this off-season is going to be about not only adding to the wide receiver room, but completely changing it.
And if I would've told Rob Stats-Guerrera on March 17th of 2025 that the San Francisco 49ers would employ Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and have Ricky Pearsall, and have them as their top three wide receivers, Rob Stats-Guerrera would tell me from a year ago That you were nuts, that Mike Evans was never leaving Tampa Bay, that the 49ers were gonna roll with, you know, Ricky Pearsall and DeMarcus Robinson and maybe the young guys.
I didn't see this happening at all.
And to be fair, the 49ers, I think it was Barrows who reported that they were not in on Mike Evans at first.
They were in on Alec Pierce.
And when they didn't get Pierce or they realized he was gonna be out of their price range, they pivoted to Mike Evans.
So this isn't even plan A for the 49ers, but I gotta tell you, it's a hell of a plan B.
Hell of a way to pivot.
And my And shout out to George Kittle as well too.
We're talking about George Kittle.
George Kittle is a, a new, I guess agent for the 49ers.
Yeah.
You know, I, I, I really did like what Mike Evans said, man, even if I don't agree with him, in the press conference.
He said, "The 49ers are a piece away, and I'm that piece."
Well, they're not, and you're not.
But that is really, really, really nice to hear, and it, and it really is.
It just signifies the culture, right?
So have we ever talked about will players come here to play?
What about the substation?
All that shit's out the window right now, Rob.
Yeah.
I mean, they asked George, "Did Mike Evans ask you about that?"
He was like, "No, he never mentioned it."
I said at the time that it was a topic because the Super Bowl was in San Francisco, and that once the Super Bowl cleared out, it wouldn't matter at all.
And we haven't heard it mattering at all since then.
Yeah.
And, and it still shows that this team still wants to win.
They still have that desire, right?
Like George Kittle's asking a player who is going to the Hall of Fame to come play with them and recruit.
You know, I And I wouldn't be mad at any 49ers player who didn't recruit.
That's not your job.
That is not your job at all.
That is not part of your job.
Now, if you wanna go out there and do that, that's something completely different.
That is above and beyond, right?
When you work retail, like I have, you know, when I had a job for the longest parts of my life, Home Depot, Foot Locker, I would do enough to just make sure I can punch in and punch out, right?
That's it.
I was there to get my eight hours and dip.
But the people who went above and beyond were the ones who were given more leeway, and I didn't understand any of that, but George Kittle does, and, and that is something that's great.
And, and not only did it land you a wide receiver, it landed you a future Hall of Famer.
And we talked about this, Rob, on Tuesday.
Mike Evans is an upgraded Jauan Jennings, even at his age.
Upgraded.
I wanna make sure we say that.
Upgraded.
Guy who can win outside, win 50/50 jump balls, will catch more passes if they're thrown to him than Jauan Jennings will.So Mike Evans is an upgrade.
I don't care what the age is.
And then when you look at the deal, it's year to year.
It's, it's, it Listen, we are gonna glow a lot about this free agency period right now for the 49ers.
We are gonna glow a lot about it, because there's not much to be upset about, if at all anything.
You've got Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, and they are in tow for this season for $20 million combined.
That is probably the worst that you would get for a wide receiver two on someone else's team.
So the 49ers are cooking, Rob.
Keep in mind, Jauan Jennings asked the 49ers for $20 million before the start of the season last year, just for him.
And then he- And he's asking f- and he's asking for it now.
And is there a reason on March 17th that no one signed him?
Yeah, I completely agree with you.
at the price point that they brought these guys in, I mean, Mike Evans at, at w- his cap number's like $4 million and change this year.
It's a risk well worth taking, well worth taking if you're the 49ers.
You can't turn that deal down.
No, you can't.
And if Mike Evans ends up with 750 yards and nine touchdowns, 10 touchdowns, and plays 13, 14 games, that's a win.
That's a win.
I don't need 1,000.
I don't need 1,000.
I doubt you're gonna get 1,000 based on the way that the, the 49ers don't, you know, funnel targets to people.
But you have to understand what's a successful season, even if it's a down season, for a player who has been massively successful every single year of his career and is going to be a Hall of Famer.
So Mike Evans, you don't have to get in here but do anything but like 750, 800 yards and 10 touchdowns, I'll be fine.
I will be fine.
I don't need 1,000 yards.
And I, I pointed this out yesterday, and I think it's worth saying again too, everyone's like, "Oh, you know, his hamstring, his hamstring."
Like, yeah, I expect his hamstring to cause him to miss games at some point this season.
It did with Davante Adams too last year.
He missed a month with the Rams because of a hamstring injury.
But you just hope that Mike Evans will be ready to go by the time the playoffs come around.
He'll contribute in the meantime, he's going to miss time at some point, and you hope he's there in the playoffs ready to roll.
That's what you gotta hope if you're the 49ers.
Is it a risk?
Absolutely it's a risk.
Guess what?
Every single move they do comes with some sort of risk.
You could go with a younger player, but you risk not getting the same quality.
So you just have to decide which risk you're most comfortable with taking.
And do you think that the Rams didn't like what they got from Davante Adams?
Right.
He was cooking.
I mean, he led the league in, like, red zone touchdowns.
Like, he literally was just, like You know, again, it's funny, Davante Adams had his career extended because of Matthew Stafford.
Mm-hmm.
Now is Mike Evans hoping to have the same?
And the best part for the 49ers is we get to do this on a year-by-year basis.
We don't have to sit there and be like, "Man, we're, we're hooked to this guy until he's 36."
you know, this is, this is all, this is all We think he's gonna bounce back.
If he does, great.
If he doesn't, fine.
We're out.
We're fine.
Yeah.
And, and you, you figure it out from there.
That's why, like, yeah, people are saying, "Oh, they're signing all these old guys."
Well, number one, there's not a lot of 24-year-olds available in free agency.
Like, you get younger through the draft, not, you know, through free agency.
You can't always get those guys, 'cause it takes a long time to get to free agency.
But it's not like a five-year deal with Mike Evans, where they're tied to him forever and you're hoping he's gotta find the fountain of youth for five years.
17 game- 20 games, let's call it, that's what you're hoping for from Mike Evans, you know?
And that's a risk worth taking, and if it doesn't pay off, then you're out and you move on.
It's, it To me, I don't see a downside, I really don't.
GreatOne765 says, "Since when does Purdy extend careers?
Jauan Jennings owes all of his money to Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan together."
Kendrick Bourne.
Just don't forget that.
Don't, just don't forget that.
Just don't forget that, okay?
I don't want that to be lost in the sauce.
Jauan Jennings owes every single dollar that he intends to make in the NFL to Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan.
I don't think that's controversial, and I don't think that that is something that is wrong at all.
Did you see what Kendrick Bourne said after he signed with the Cardinals?
They were like, "Why'd you sign here?"
He was like, "I had one offer."
Yeah, and- But that's all That's due to Kyle Shanahan cooking him, drawing up plays, and getting him open last year.
That's how we're about to You know, we were about to go into this wide receiver room this off-season, was, "Can we get Kendrick Bourne back?
Oh man, we need Kendrick Bourne to join."
You don't wanna be in that spot.
Right?
You don't wanna be in that spot.
So Mike Evans is your starting X, he'll mix in with Ricky Pearsall out there.
But the Christian Kirk thing, one year, $6 million.
That is an insane amount of money to get from a player who is still awfully productive, and I wanna point out a few things.
If you think, if you think that this was something that, you know, the 49ers are giving him a gift for, no.
The Jacksonville Jaguars believed the hell out of Christian Kirk.
They ruined the wide receiver market- Yep with that deal.
They ruined it.
They ruined it.
Ruined it.
Deebo Samuel was looking like, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," like, that year.
The Houston Texans didn't shy away from that, and it just wasn't because, you know, Christian Kirk is washed, it's Houston's offense is trash, and C.J.
Stroud regressed, and there's Nico Collins, and, you know, they just were tough to watch.
But one year, $6 million for a guy who's an experienced number three, and is gonna be a slot guy, and still has plenty in the tank?
Rob, I wanted Hollywood Brown, but one year, $6 million for Christian Kirk, man, I am not gonna sit here and complain about that at all.Yeah, I think that basically in my mind anyway you get relatively the same production out of either one of those guys.
I heard Matt Mayoka talking about this on his YouTube channel and I wanted to ask you about it.
Is Christian Kirk exclusively a slot guy?
No.
And the reason Okay, good.
Because the reason I ask that is the way Matt kind of put it, like Evans plays the X, Pearsall plays the Z, and Kirk's in the slot and the Niners are set.
And it's like, yeah, that's great, but that assumes you're gonna have those guys all year long.
And we saw with the defense last year, they had guys that had assigned spots, and then when the injuries came everybody had to do something they weren't supposed to do and it all broke down.
So if you're telling me Kirk can play outside too, that's good, I feel a little better about things, 'cause you're not gonna have all three of those guys for all 17 games.
Yeah.
Mike can play X, Ricky can play X, Mike can play F, Ricky can play F, Kirk can play F, Kirk can play Z, Ricky can play Z.
You've, you're, you're right now, you're, you're in a spot where you're not like, this is it, right?
When you have Jauan Jennings at X over and over and over, you gotta find a way to get him involved.
But you don't have that issue anymore when there's an actual X, like an actual guy who can get himself open.
And then one game, he, one, one round he's out, he's at F, Ricky's out there at X.
Good luck trying to guard all three of these very versatile guys.
But Mike is the, the X guy.
He is the X guy, and he is just, he is somebody who can go get the football, will go get the football, has gone to get the football, and still at 33 has a ton in the, in the chamber.
And if we're looking for red zone targets, George Kittle's not gonna be I mean, he says week one.
That's fine.
I, I mean, I don't know what Bussin' With The Boys was saying.
I would doubt that he plays week one.
You still need that guy, and that's what Jauan Jennings was, a red zone guy.
So, I, I love this.
I love this actual room right now, and I never would've thought that this room would've come together this way.
It looks so much better from where we were at the end of the season last year.
Like you said, we were like, "What do we do if we lose Kendrick Bourne?"
It's like, okay, I can exhale a little bit.
And I think it does give them flexibility, Jay, that if they're at 27 and there's a defensive end that they really like, or heaven forbid an offensive lineman, they don't have to go, "Yeah, but we really desperately need a wide receiver, so we gotta pass up on those guys."
They can go other places in round one because they don't have this crushing desperation now at wide receiver.
Yeah, and you have guys that can do everything, right?
Like, and you don't have guys that are pigeonholed, you know, right away.
Like, and you're saying, you know, "Mike can only play X. Ricky can only play Z."
Like, you get to move around, you know, all these guys, and the more that they get comfortable, the- the- the better it'll be.
And then, you know, look, again, let's, let's go through the wide receiver room right now, because they're only keeping six, and Skyy Moore's gone.
Ricky Pearsall, you know, I was gonna say Kendrick Bourne, my God, Mike Evans and, Christian Kirk.
Oh my God, Christian Kirk.
Okay.
Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, yeah, you're there, but your spot is nowhere near defined- Mm-hmm at all.
At all.
Um- DeMarcus Robinson.
The 49- DeMarcus Robinson's the other one.
The 4- the 49ers are still asking for a jump from these guys.
But just because John Lynch mentions you in a press conference doesn't mean that you have something sewn up.
And you better watch your back, because the 49ers are absolutely gonna draft another receiver, Rob, right?
I think so, yeah.
At least one.
Yeah.
So whether that's pick 27, pick 56, wherever it is that they pick again, that's a valuable pick if it's in the first two rounds.
if it's Omar Cooper, Omar Cooper's gotta play over Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing.
I don't wanna see either of those guys on the field over Omar Cooper at, at, at 27.
Whoever the first round pick is, he's gotta play.
We're not doing this again.
We're not doing another year of like, damn, where, you know, is he in the doghouse?
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.
These guys gotta, these guys gotta join right away and start going.
And look, Jordan Watkins was a fourth round pick, Jacob Cowing was a fourth round pick.
That's different than being a second round pick.
Like, yeah, a fourth round pick you hope you get something out of them, but second round picks are expected to be starters in my opinion.
Yeah.
And they played Ricky Pearsall.
He was a first round pick, they played him.
As soon as they could, as soon as that, he got back from the gunshot wound, he played.
So it wasn't like a thing where Kyle was hesitant to throw him in there.
They threw him out there immediately.
You would think a second round pick would have that, privilege I guess is the word.
Yeah, and you would think that they would get more runway, right?
Like to, to make mistakes.
But you don't.
And if you're not moving well in practice, you're not gonna play.
That's it.
That's it.
That's why Jordan Watkins doesn't play.
We don't know if he's good at football.
I'm gonna keep saying it.
We don't know if he's good at football.
And the idea that the 49ers drafted him, and then they drafted him and he's fast and he has to play, w- where on earth is that written?
Ask, tell Danny Gray that.
Like, like what are we doing?
He might not be good.
And Strawberry Access, "Deebo played early as a second round pick."
Oh, he didn't.
Oh, he didn't.
It took him a little while.
It was Marquise Goodwin.
It was still Trent Taylor.
It was still a bunch of guy- Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers, I was there opening day, Tampa Bay-Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown pass.
He threw two touchdown passes.
He threw one to Tampa Bay, but he threw one to the San Francisco 49ers.
One of those touchdown passes was to Richie James, Richie James Jr. Richie James, Marquise Goodwin, Kendrick Bourne, those were the guys that played early on over Deebo Samuel until he finally got going.
Um- Deebo started his first two games as a rookie, then didn't start for a month.
Yeah.
And then s- hit the starting lineup, and after that he was the starter.
Yeah.
And all of that started to connect when Mostert started taking off and, you know.
But I did wanna go back to this, because we have to start there, right?
That's the 2019 season, but we do have to start in that area, right?
We're only a week and change through free agency.
Free agency isn't over.
The 49ers haven't made that many signings.
They've signed Mike Evans, they've signed Christian Kirk, they've signed offensive linemen, they've signed Nate Hobbs, who's a cornerback.
But going back and looking at the other free agency time periods, especially right off the bat, is this the best that the 49ers have started their free agency?
I'm gonna say yes, but I wanna go through all of the years, because the 49ers haven't been shy on day one.
They haven't been shy on day one.
Like, if we love you, we're gonna sign you on day one.
So I wanna know, do you feel the same way that I feel, Rob?
Off the top of my head, my first reaction is to say, yes, it is.
Yeah.
Now, I a- admit I haven't gone through year by year, and we're gonna take a look at it just to sort of refresh our memories.
But when you look at the quality of players that they have brought in at the co- especially at the cost at which they've brought them in for, it's hard in my mind to top this.
But we'll take a look at it here.
let's see.
You can't really see that on the stream.
We're, we're going back all the way to 2017, and this was, you know, when they are trying to overhaul this roster.
They made a ton of moves.
Kwon Williams in 2017, Pierre Garon, Marquise Goodwin, Robbie Gould, Kyle Juszczyk.
Those are quality players, so that's not nothing.
It's just the, the fact that the rest of the team around them stunk.
Kwon Williams, Pierre Garon, Marquise Goodwin, Robbie Gould, Brian Hoyer was a starter, Juice, Malcolm Smith, pfft, Logan Paulsen- Yeah.
Aldrick Robinson.
Yeah, the rest of that, that class is crap.
It's just crap.
but Juszczyk, Kwon, you know, you look at those guys and they're players.
I, I mean, Hoyer started, at quarterback.
Hoyer started.
so 2017 And, and 2017, we have to also preface it by saying that was absolutely a team trying their best to just, you know, put things together.
Yeah.
You know?
So 2017, we'll let it slide.
We'll let it slide.
That one where, you know, you, you're off the Tom Soula Kelly train.
it was a lot.
You know, they didn't win a game until, like, you know, week 14, whenever the hell it was.
and then, you know, Jimmy Garoppolo came and saved us.
But, 2018, Rob, what do we got here with the free agency class?
That was Richard Sherman.
Nice.
That was the W- Weston Richburg, who played well before he got hurt.
I like it.
Jett McKinnon, who got hurt.
That, that would, th- that would've worked if he wasn't, you know, hurt.
I get what they were doing.
the rest of it is all Alfred Morris came that year, Jonathan Cooper.
not, not a massive year.
Alfred Morris?
But look, the Richard Sherman, he was an All-Pro, I think a second team All-Pro for them.
Richburg, like we said, played well.
That's two guy.
It's decent.
I wouldn't say it's the best, though.
I would say that's a bad class right off the rip.
But, hey, you know, they can't all be winners, so I don't think that's, I don't think that's the 2018.
The 2019 one is gonna be interesting.
Dee Ford, you know, you, you make the trade.
And a- and again, free agency, we don't mean signings, right?
Like, the, the Osa move, and I'm gonna keep calling him Osa.
I'm not even gonna try for his last name.
the Osa move was a trade.
You can keep doing it.
okay, cool.
I mean, you can keep- Cool e- every time I say Osa, you can say the, the, the last name and say it correctly.
2019's interesting.
Dee Ford, you know, you, you bring in Emmanuel Moseley as a, a, a, you know, free agent, restricted free agent.
you know, Mostert was there already, right?
Like, Tevin Coleman was somebody in 2019 they brought in, right?
Like, they, they brought in off the rip, from there.
Like, there's, there's a bunch other ones.
Like, the reason that I'm having a tough time remembering is 'cause I guess they didn't have that big of an impact.
But that's why I was saying that this has to be the best one, because one of the 49ers, aside from Richard Sherman, like, landed a future free agent.
And the other part of it, too, is they also added Bosa, Deebo, and Greenlaw in the draft that year.
And I'm sorry, for some reason they don't have the list up- That's fine for 2019, so that's why I didn't bring it up.
But that was the s- the, in addition to the Dee Ford thing, like, when you add three huge player, and especially Deebo and Bosa in the draft, that is a massive, massive addition.
So that was a hell of a The boost from 2018 to 2019 was incredible.
Yeah, and that defense showed it, absolutely.
2020, a season that we don't really like to speak about.
Trent Williams came in.
That wasn't free agency, though.
That was during the draft.
You know, you add Trent W- you add Trent Williams.
2020's tough to remember in terms of, like, who the 49ers brought in.
Here we go.
Kerry Hyder, he had a good time.
Tom Compton, okay.
Tom Compton.Alex Berry, I'm sure, I, I, I don't, I can't even believe that he's like still in the league.
Jordan Reed, that worked out for a little while.
Didn't Jordan Reed have like seven or eight touchdowns that year?
Yeah, he played well for the 49- That was like the one time they actually found another tight end that wasn't a complete disaster.
Right.
J.J. Nelson, Tavon Austin, wow.
Spencer Long, Hroniss Grasu, starting center in 2020.
I don't know if you guys remember that game.
he was throwing balls in the dirt.
Hroniss, Sabrina Ionescu's husband.
Yeah.
I didn't, you know, I didn't know that until that long ago either.
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely.
Jeron Brown, River Craigcraft, Kevin White.
Ziggy Ansah.
Eek.
Ziggy Ansah, that's still 2020?
Damn.
yeah.
Uh- Nope.
Yeah, 2020's a bad one.
That's a bad one.
That's- That's a bad one.
No.
But this is what we mean when we talk about like, oh, you know, the 49ers drafts have been not great.
It's like they've struggled in the draft at times, but also, their free agent signings have not really been that great most of the time.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, Kwon Alexander's the other one that I'm thinking of in, in 2019, you know?
And then he ended up getting, wound up getting let go.
2021, Alex Mack, big move.
Good.
Yep.
Huge.
Samson Ebukam was very good for us.
Mohammed Sanu.
I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo cursed about him in a press conference.
That's all I've got.
That's right.
yeah.
Fucking good, man.
He looks fucking good, man.
Yeah.
I Arden Key, huge.
Mo- Murr Hurst.
Marquise Lee, my God, I forgot.
My God.
Mykol Pruitt.
Tony Jefferson, who's still in the league.
Yeah, damn.
Jordan Matthews, who will always be around.
2021 wasn't so bad.
Josh Norman.
Oh, man.
Josh Norman.
Remember he like- First- kept getting roasted, but he kept forcing fumbles and recovering fumbles?
And they kept sticking with him.
Yeah.
I mean, they, there was, what is it?
That Arizona game where he, where he got penalized.
I was just like, "I don't understand."
Kyle Shanahan has like sent people to the shadow room for worse.
Yeah.
I mean, for, for, for less.
And, and he just continues to keep playing, but yeah, 2021 was fine.
Alex Mack was supposed to be the, the guy of the future.
Ends up retiring.
but that's how important center is, and now we have Jay Prindle, right, guys?
Right.
And who's upset about that?
All right.
Oren Burks, this is the one.
2022.
2022, yeah.
Charvarius Ward, huge signing, day one.
Harry Hyde was back.
Malik Turner, a longtime 49er.
Oh.
And you w- yeah, and you wonder why he gets more snaps than, that other guy who might not even exist.
Tyler Croft.
Kamico, Kamico Turay.
George Odum.
Yeesh.
Willie Sneed.
Tyler Croft, Robert Nkemdiche.
Eek.
Tashaun Gibson.
Gibson was a home run for them.
Yeah.
They signed him on August 22nd, and he was a starting safety, and he w- played great for them.
Yeah.
That and- And Frank Gore signing that and Award signing are pretty- And Frank Gore signed a one Frank Gore signed a one-day contract.
Oh, right.
I mean, that just meant that he was trying to, you know, retire.
You know, it's the same thing.
Frank Gore, we lost Frank Gore and Alex Mack in the same season.
Unbelievable.
All right, 2022.
2023 is gonna be the next one, and- 2022 is pretty good.
2022 is pretty good, only because Charvarius Ward was so good.
Ward and Gibson, that combination.
That's, and Ray-Ray McCloud was a decent returner for them, even though I think he cost them a Super Bowl.
I mean, you, you definitely tried to like grit your teeth and say it.
You know, you That wasn't easy for you to get out, I'll tell you that.
All right, 2023.
Javon Hargrave, Sam Darnold, Clelin Ferrell, Isaiah Oliver, John Feliciano.
Feliciano played in the last game of the season, so did Javon Hargrave.
Chris Conley played in the last game of the season.
ooh.
Brandon Allen.
Ooh.
Terrace Marshall.
Jeremy McNichols.
Terrance Mitchell.
Yeah, these guys.
Jeremy McNichols.
I mean, I said McNichols should've came back.
you know, he signed a one-year deal with Washington.
Ben Bartch.
God, this is a, this is a rough one, man.
Clelin Ferrell was a good signing.
Other than that- He was the whole class, pfft.
Yeah.
That one's not good at all.
Nope.
Nothing.
Yuck and poo, 2023.
And it's crazy that Darnold is like so highly regarded because of his time here, and he never played.
Right.
He started one game.
It was a dud game at the end of the year where it didn't matter at all, and everyone wants to give him all this credit 'cause he came in during the Ravens game, but he wasn't even that good and threw a pick at the one-yard line in that game, too.
That game was over.
Yeah.
All right, here's 2024.
Oh, God.
The 2024.
Here we go.
Jordan Elliott, who had left.
Udo Dirhamsah, gone.
Leonard Floyd, gone.
DeVondre Campbell, gone.
Chase Lucas, gone.
Brandon Parker, gone.
Isaac Yadam, gone.
Joshua Dobbs, gone.
Ezekiel Turner, gone.
Eric Sauber, gone.
Patrick Taylor, back.
Rocky Yassin, gone.
Trent Taylor, I don't know how you stick around.
Still here.
Yeah, I don't know how you stick around, dude.
Like you, you've gotta tell me your secret, dude, because it has nothing to do with football at this point.
Chris Hubbard, gone.
Logan Thomas, gone.
Frank Darby, gone.
Oof, man, 2023 was rough.
No, that's 2024.
2024 was rough.
Matt Breida, I forgot about that.
Keshon Vaughn.
Preston Harvin.
Not great.
Yeah.
So this is the best, this is the best start.
So this, this is it.
I think we've gotten here.
I don't have to see next year, 'cause I, I, I know, I know that that wasn't better than this year.
When Eddie Piniero is like your best acquisition, it can't compete, for sure.
And we have a new punter.
That's right, Corless Waitman, come on down.
Hey.
First left-footed punter for the 49ers since the early '90s.Hooray.
totally needed that stat, across brought, brought back to me, Rob.
But yeah, this is the best one of all of the, the Shanahan-Lynch era so far.
And we still have time.
And I'm talking about who you sign.
You didn't overpay for Mike Evans.
You didn't overpay for Christian Kirk.
You, you traded for Osoa, who should be in a good spot here for you.
you checked all the boxes.
Nate Hobbs is good secondary depth.
you feel good right now.
You feel real good.
and when we're talking about how much it costs and what it can be, that's when you really start to see the value of this.
'Cause plenty of teams just dumped all their money out, the Raiders, you know, whoever.
Doesn't mean that they're gonna get good, but spending your money wisely is, I think, what the 49ers have been able to do this off-season above others.
Remember the old saying, right?
The 49ers used to have it painted at the team facility when Harbaugh was there.
I don't know where Jay went.
He just bounced.
But, we'll see if he pops back.
Oh, Jay's- I'm here.
Oh, all right.
We lost, y- we lost your image, but, the old saying that used to be at the Niners facility was, "You either get better or you get worse, but you never stay the same."
And if you just look at the NFC West right now, I think it's very clear the Rams got better immediately.
They addressed their biggest need.
They bring in two corners.
They're better than anybody they had last year.
The Rams are better.
You look at the 49ers, to me, it is clear that they got better.
They addressed need at wide receiver.
They addressed the need at defensive line.
You can argue how much, that's fine, but, I don't think you could say they didn't get better than they were at the end of last year.
When you look at the Seahawks, where are the Seahawks better than they were last year?
I don't think you- They have a ring.
Yeah, but it doesn't make them better, and it's not gonna help them in 2026.
Right.
That's 2025's ring.
Right.
Yeah, and that's the thing is you don't wanna catch yourself keeping up with the Joneses, but the arms race in the NFC West, you have to keep up with.
You have to.
The Rams lost and didn't make the Super Bowl because their secondary and special teams.
So you go right out there and you address secondary right away.
And not only did you address it with, you know, some good players, you addressed it with probably the best two options that you can.
And Kansas City's fine with that.
You know what else, too?
I wanna give Kansas City a lot of credit.
A lot of credit.
They have their formula of letting guys go before they get paid, no matter how impactful you are, and they just fill that spot in the draft whenever they want.
Charvarius Ward leaves, cool, we just drafted Trent McDuffie, we're fine.
Trent McDuffie's out, cool, we're just gonna go get somebody else, to help fill the, hel- help fill this defense.
The Chiefs are not worried about overpaying people, unless it's that scrub, Travis Kelce.
But they're just, they're, they're not, they're not worried about that, and I think that that is admirable because they have such belief in their system, their team, their quarterback, that they, they don't have to wring their hands over these decisions and they can You know, "Hey, you want Trent McDuffie?
No problem, buddy, we'll send him right over."
Like, they're not even hesitating, and I really appreciate that about them because some teams get stuck looking at the, at the trees and losing sight of the forest.
And I think that some teams are better at drafting certain positions.
The Chiefs are good at drafting corners that work for them, man.
Trent McDuffie, L'Jarius Sneed was good when he was in Kansas City for them.
Watson.
Watson.
Then he went over to the Rams.
Yeah, like, whatever the reason is, they're good at it.
Just like the Steelers used to be good at finding wide receivers, right?
They went on a run where, like, every wide receiver they drafted was awesome.
If you have that confidence, take advantage of that skill.
Don't pay that guy, trade that person for assets, and use your skill to replenish the pool, so to speak.
They've done that.
49ers, maybe you could say linebacker, they've been good at finding linebackers, but Nick Martin kinda looked a little shaky, so maybe that streak has come to an end.
When did he play?
Right, I mean- You have film that you, you have, you have film that I haven't, I don't have?
I'm about to go into my Google Drive right now.
Speaking of linebacker, Rob, run it back.
Dre Greenlaw's crazy ass is back in town.
What's, what's the over under on, penalties after the whistle?
He will get one in the first game.
In Australia, he will have one.
Easily.
If there was a bet on Sleeper, whatever, you know, whoever it is, yes, I would absolutely take it.
But one year, $7 million.
PFF named it one of the five under the radar signings in free agency.
Dre Greenlaw's back.
I have an issue with going backwards in time with players, but I don't feel like I have that issue now with Greenlaw, and I think he's gonna slide right back into being the guy that, that we all love.
Draymond Green.
I just, I don't think he's gonna end up playing.
I think he's gonna get hurt.
I think he's gonna be hurt.
That's my only hesitation.
Now, it doesn't look like it's a lot of money, so that's good, and it's a short-term deal, so, you know, at least there's that side of it.
I just have no confidence in him to stay on the field, but if he's on the field, 49ers defense just got a lot better.
You know what's funny?
Is part of what happened with Dre Greenlaw, he signed a three-year deal with Denver.
I think a lot of what happened with Dre in terms of why Denver let him go was his comments about the teamHe was hurt a lot, and then when he finally came back, he was like, "Oh, this defensive playbook is like reading Chinese."
And then he brought up the Broncos' practicing habits.
And boy, if you're worried about how the San Francisco 49ers tax their players in practice, oh dear.
Denver doesn't give those guys a day off.
Um- They're hitting, they're hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting, hitting every single day.
Yeah, what did he say about that?
I remember he talked about that.
He said that, "Kyle gave us days off to try and get us back.
He would give us the last two, three days off to try and get us back."
He goes, "But there's no such thing with Sean Payton, and we have to play every single day."
Funny, right?
Because we talked about, you know, how, you know, whatever, Seattle and, and, and Oh, oh, what is it, what is it that came out?
wa- was it on the Bussin' With the Boys thing where, the doctor cleared George Kittle for the- Yeah for the, for the divisional game?
Yeah, so George Kittle said he tore two ligaments in his ankle against the Colts.
Remember, he got hip drop tackled, and he tore two ligaments in his ankle against the Colts, and he kept playing.
And he thinks that that was part of the reason the Achilles went in the playoff game, because he was overcompensating with the other leg, because he was, you know, he was basically on one leg.
And so that's what happened.
That's, that was his theory, he said.
Let's be 100% transparent and clear here.
Yes, the 49ers doctors are there to do the right thing and take care of the players.
But yes, the 49ers doctors have somebody in their ear like, "Yo, is this guy gonna play or what?
We need him.
And if there's a chance that he's gonna play, they're gonna push for that."
Um- And by the way, I'm sure George was like, "There's no way in hell I'm missing a playoff game.
I've been playing on this ankle for weeks in the regular season.
I'm definitely playing in the playoffs."
It's Any Given Sunday, right, the, the movie.
Oh, that's probably my favorite football movie of all time, because it's the closest thing to mirroring the NFL in every way.
Guys are hurt, they're playing through it.
The doctor knows that something's wrong, but they're letting them play through it, and they're, they Like, they, like, the NFL, the NFL is a, is a man's league, because there's men that desire nothing more than to play football, and they're gonna do it regardless of what they're paid or what they wanna get paid.
Like, those guys are still gonna go out there.
Remember in 2020, Rob, when George Kittle had the injury, and there was no reason for him to come back and play football in those last few games?
And, I believe Grant, you know, asked him at a press conference, and Kittle was like, "Yeah, I heard you said that I should play my, I should practice my, my little heart out."
He goes, "But I'm gonna play my heart out."
And he was like And, and that's just who, like, the type of guy he is.
That's who football players are.
They wanna play.
They wanna play.
shout out to Perk, man.
Thank you for the donation.
Yeah, rep that ish.
Much love.
Jason and Rob, thank you for tuning in, buddy.
but football players, they wanna play football, Rob.
That's what they, that, that's all they And they know that their shelf life is short for playing football.
So you don't have time to waste not playing football.
And the other part of it, too, and look, I can't speak for George.
this is me speculating.
But there's a difference between, "Hey, if I go out and play, I could really mess up my ankle," and, "If I go out and play, I could really mess up my brain," right?
Concussions are a different thing.
That is a, it's not treated the same.
George is like, "Yeah, if I go out and I mess up my ankle or whatever, I'll have surgery in the off-season, and we'll fix it."
Like, guys are willing to risk that stuff, especially for a playoff game, especially for a guy like Kittle, who's been to two Super Bowls and lost them both, and knows how old he is and what he's gonna turn next season.
He doesn't know if he's ever gonna get back to the playoffs.
Of course he played on torn ligaments.
And that's just who he is.
That's who a lot of the guys in this league are.
You know?
Or, or on the 49ers are.
So yeah.
I wanted to ask you, because I do see it, and we might as well talk about it.
It's March 17th and Brandon Aiyuk is still a San Francisco 49er.
This is going all the way to June 1st, isn't it?
I think it is.
Yeah.
And I, I definitely think it's going towards after the draft.
Yep.
There is no reason to release him before the draft, 'cause who knows?
Maybe a team doesn't get a wide receiver, whatever.
You don't know what's gonna happen.
You have no idea what is going to happen.
You might as well keep him at least through the draft and see, because if you get a pick for him, it's 100% a win, and it costs you nothing to wait.
So I know teams think the 49ers or, or some fan I shouldn't say teams.
Some fans think the 49ers are being petty.
I think, I don't think that's what it is.
I mean, maybe that's part of it, but I think the main driver of this is just business.
Yeah, it's $20 million if they get rid of him before June 1st.
you have to limit that.
You have to limit that all the way down to, like, the last moment.
And you never know.
This league's stupid.
There's plenty of stupid franchises.
Somebody might send a trade.
Somebody might just say like, "You know, we wanna."
But also, there is a little bit to it of like, "Yeah, I know what you wanna do, Brandon.
Yeah, we know you wanna go to Washington.
But it's not in our best interest right now to let that happen, so we're not gonna let it happen.
And now you just gotta deal with it."
Now, on the flip side of YouTube channels that are really good, Ricky Pearsall's is really good and wholesome.
I'm very scared to click on Brandon Aiyuk's, and I don't wanna check it out at all, actually.
Don't watch the videos.
Just look to see what the, what he posts, 'cause apparently that's where he posts his thoughts.
If you don't- Speaking of draft- Go ahead.
Oh, go.
I was gonna say, speaking of draft trades, Jay, did you see this?
Now that Jaylen Waddle- Yep has been traded from the Dolphins, everything they got from the Trey Lance trade is now off of their team.
And I will say this.
There is no question Miami won that trade.
No two ways about it.
It was a disaster for the 49ers.
Yet the Dolphins never sniffed a Super Bowl.
The 49ers went to one and went to multiple NFC Championship games.It is crazy that the, the 49ers, where that trade was a complete train wreck, ended up better off than the Dolphins.
Yeah.
Look, and not only is Jalen Waddell, Tyreek Hill, and Bradley, Bradley Chubb not there, Mike McDaniel's not there.
Mm-hmm.
Tua Tagov- Tua Tagovailoa's not there.
Tua Tagovailoa's the new Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback.
football's funny.
And that's why the whole, like, you know, draft picks and other stuff, and, like, who you send and what it could be, that's why I love doing, like, recaps of the draft, and you're like, "Damn, you drafted this guy.
You should have drafted this guy."
It's a fun exercise, but it's impossible to do.
It's just impossible to do.
Mike, UA, "Worth $2 to hear Rob say the substation got Kittle.
Say it.
I dare you.
Say it."
The substation got Kittle.
Happy Mike- Damn!
There we go.
It pained me to say it, but I said it.
The substation got Kittle.
You know who didn't get?
Do you know who the substation didn't get?
Madden 26 is available free right now on PlayStation, if you have PlayStation Plus.
So I downloaded it, and I played a game with the 49ers.
I haven't played Madden in 10 years.
I used to be, Rob, I'm talking about, like, I'm not even joking, I used to be the king, where I would walk in in '05, I would walk into a house, and I would look around, and I would be like, "Which one of your mans is the best here?
Which one of your mans is the best?
Pick up the sticks, so I can wash you out."
I'd run the same three plays over and over on offense and defense and wash you out.
There's nothing you can do about it.
I will tell you where I'm going with the football.
There's nothing you can do about it.
But Brandon Aiyuk had seven catches, two touchdowns, and 134 yards for me in this game, in my first win on Madden.
It was hard not to target him, man.
He was open the entire time.
Like, every time I threw it to Ricky Pearsall, he would go up and try to go get it, and he would drop it.
In Madden '05, that was the Ray Lewis year.
Um- Yes.
Well, it's interesting, too, you, to bring that up because that was Steve Young talks about that all the time, how Brandon Aiyuk's superpower was that he was able to get open super fast, and Brock Purdy could always find him and get him the football.
And Mayoka was talking about the receivers the Niners have in the room this year, and he kind of brought up an interesting thought, and it was basically, like, the Niners need guys that can get open so that Brock doesn't have to do as much with his feet and as much scrambling.
Like, they're trying to take that off of his plate so that they don't have to rely on him so much to buy time for guys to get open.
Smart.
Makes sense.
It's smart, I think.
I mean, again, look, Brock, Brock's superpower is that stuff outside of the pocket.
You know?
It is.
But this offense is never any more efficient with anybody under center when it's not clicking, the guy's open, three steps, drop, five step, drop, ball out.
Like, this offense never gets to that place.
Now, we had a quarterback before, Jimmy Garoppolo, who he wouldn't see it, and then when he got outside the pocket, you were just praying that the football would end up in a garbage can or, or out of bounds as opposed, you know.
But Brock is good at that.
But I also do think they do need to bring him back into the drop back passing game and just allow those little things to burst out.
That shouldn't be what you're relying on Brock for.
That should be an added bonus.
And I think they were relying on Brock for it last year.
Like, they really, e- especially when, you know, against the better teams, they really relied on Brock to make something happen, and Kyle has always said that he looks at scrambling and buying time as sort of the break glass in case of emergency skill because you can't count on it time after time, and I, I do agree with that.
Like, if that's the foundation of your offense, your offense is gonna be very, very hit or miss.
Kyle doesn't want that.
He doesn't want his quarterback to have to do that.
And I think he would say it's a better thing for the 49ers if Brock doesn't have to.
Oh, by the way, Brock Purdy got turf toe when he was scrambling out of the pocket.
You know?
So I think probably that was run through Kyle's mind as well.
They have Seattle.
so look, it's March 17th.
There's still a few days left of this week in free agency.
Free agency has slowed down mightily.
The last time I spoke with you, Rob, we went on right before- Right after or right after.
Mm-hmm.
And the new details are out.
The Ravens are pieces of shit, aren't they?
I don't look at it like that.
Did you hear what Max Crosby said?
He basically said that when he got to the Ravens facility, like, he just felt like something was off, right?
And then all of a sudden they were like, "Oh, your physical's failed."
He didn't talk to the GM or anything.
And that's shocking 'cause Eric DeCosta You know, I, when I'm at the combine, you know, I wait for John Lynch, and then there's certain players that I'll-- I mean, certain GMs that I'll go, you know, or coaches that I'll go down, you know, depending on who they are.
I, by accident, asked Eric DeCosta a question at the combine, and he looks dead through my soul.
Like, this man is very insane with eye contact, where he wants, he wants you to know where he's coming from.
He, he respects you as a person, and he wants to let you know that he's dialed into everything you're saying.
Little did I know that it was scaring the shit out of me, and it just seems like he's such a standup guy.
It didn't seem like it was part of his MO when it comes to, like, this way because he went in that press conference and was like, "Nah, every, you know, like, we're not sleazy or anything like that."
Are you sure?
Like, a little bit of that feels very sleazy.
They didn't do anything they weren't allowed to do.
Like, they don't need to lie and say he failed his physical to back out of that deal because the new league year hadn't come yet, and it's, before the new league year starts, nothing is official.
Nothing is done.
You can back out of any move for any reason.
Remember Frank Gore, the Philadelphia Eagle?Now, this was a trade, he was in the team facility, so it sucks for Max Crosby.
I also completely agree to that.
But number one, Crosby also could've said, "I don't wanna go there," at that point, and he would've been within his rights too.
And number two, another team could've signed Trey Hendrickson, and they couldn't get a deal done.
So you can sit here and blame the Ravens all you want, but in my opinion, they played it perfectly.
They end up getting a really good pass rusher still, and they kept their two first-round draft picks.
Yeah, I mean, look, would you have wanted Max Crosby?
Yeah, I think he's the better bet moving forward- Yes regardless of whatever the, whatever the injury concern is.
But Trey Hendrickson still has a lot in the tank, and you're still gonna be able to do whatever it is that you want this year.
So it might've been better that this happened.
But we have about 10 minutes left.
Thank you f- everybody for joining me.
Make sure you like this video, subscribe to the channel, subscribe to the Gold Standard Podcast Network wherever you get your audio podcasts.
Mike K- Mike, UA says, "These-- They need guys to beat, man.
Seattle showed that."
Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, I'm fine with that.
is this, is this enough so far?
And I know, you know, we're being a little bit ahead of ourselves.
March 9th was the first day of free agency.
Today's the 17th, which would make it eight days.
Is this enough for John Lynch to keep his job and not be moved up anywhere?
well, I wonder how much of If, if that was sort of in the cards for John Lynch, then how much credit does he deserve for what has happened now, or is someone else exerting more influence?
I have no idea.
Question mark.
No idea whatsoever.
I don't really care, to be honest.
Like, I just want the 49ers to get good players.
But- For sure I think we gotta see how it goes.
Like, right now, if I told you the 49ers got as far as they did last year, would you consider that a success?
Would you consider that a disappointment?
I consider it a success just based on the, the circumstances and, and that division.
I do.
I mean, I understand that if we didn't win the championship, that the season's a failure.
But when you lose Bosa and Warner and all those guys, and you, you lose Purdy and Pierce, and you still win 12, 13 games, come on.
How's that not a success?
Right.
No, I'm saying- Yeah if they get to the divisional round next year and lose in 2026- Oh, no.
And everybody's healthy?
No, no, no, no, no.
We're not, "That this is it."
Like, we're not, we're not putting up with that.
I think the extra context is needed.
You absolutely have to look at it and say, "Who was there?
Who was," you know, "What, what was there?"
That, that's fine.
But if the 49ers are healthy, and Mike Evans plays a bunch of games, and Christian Kirk plays a bunch of games, and Christian McCaffrey plays all his games, and Brock Purdy plays all his games, and Kittle comes back, and you guys don't make it to the NFC Championship game?
Yeah, yeah, no, no, no.
No, no, no.
I'm not, I'm not good with that at all.
I'm not good with that at all.
And I am somebody who is very patient when it comes to what the, what the bar of success in the NFL is, right?
Just because you didn't win a Super Bowl doesn't mean your season's a failure.
I will I'ma die on that hill.
I've had plenty of seasons where the 49ers have done great, they didn't win a Super Bowl.
But this particular year, if everybody is healthy, and we have all the context and everything that we need and, and, you know, they have a good draft, and those guys go out there, and they get their ass kicked in the divisional round, and they don't make it to the NFC Championship, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm not gonna be happy about that, Rob.
I agree.
I mean, if they have their guys, they're as good as any roster out there.
For sure.
Or close to it.
For sure.
Close enough to be able to have a fighting chance in any game that they play, but that's a huge if.
That's a massive if for this team.
We don't know.
We have to wait and see.
But also, like, at some point, when you have had the injuries that the 49ers have had for going on a decade now, you-- That can't always be a cop-out, you know?
Like, they haven't-- W- Any changes they've made to the training staff, almost all of them have been promoting people that were already on the staff from within.
They haven't really- That and Brock Purdy has saved them, Rob they haven't really moved the training staff out, and they're not doing it this year either.
So it's like, you can keep saying, "Well, we keep having injuries."
It's like, but you haven't really done anything to change that.
And they never tell us, by the way, when we say, "Are you doing anything to change it?"
They say, "Oh yeah, we changed a lot of things," but they never tell us what they are.
They never give us even a single example of it.
So at some point, you can't keep saying, "We got injured, we got injured," you know, "You can't judge us.
You can't judge us."
So it, yeah, this season's gonna be very, very interesting to see how it all turns out.
Yeah, for sure.
And I think, again, the 49ers are in a three-team race in the NFC.
you know, you look around, I understand we need to draft and all that stuff, but 49ers, Rams, Seahawks.
Like, that's, those are your three.
And then, you know, you figure out who it is after that, you know?
It's up to you, man.
Whatever, whatever it is that you feel.
But those, the, the NFC West is the top three, and the 49ers are gonna have to face and, and try to beat both those guys.
And that's the thing is, like, your division has now become a gauntlet.
No matter what your third-place schedule is going to be, you still have two games against Seattle, two games against the Rams, you know, whatever.
The Cardinals are the Cardinals, but yeah.
they, they have to continue to compete because, like you said, as long as Matthew Stafford and S- Sean McVay are alive- and, you know, the Rams are gonna be fine.
Yep.
Right?
And the Seahawks, yeah, they lost some people, but they're gonna be fine.
They're gonna be fine.
So it's just interesting to see that the 49ers are trying to pull themselves out of a position, and the other two teams are in different positions than them.
The Rams are holding onBy fingernails right now with Stafford.
Like, because that's the only reason they can make all these moves is, like, Stafford's gonna be there and, and, and we're, we're gonna be, you know, in it, whatever.
Who's the next quarterback?
Whoever this next quarterback is, you know, all that stuff's gotta change.
The Seahawks have won a Super Bowl, they have another draft.
They'll probably take this draft off.
They'll still be very good next season.
They'll still be very at the top of the league, right?
And then the 49ers are in here plugging holes with 33-year-old wide receivers and Christian Kirk.
And, and it's just the pathway for these three teams to find a successful roster has been very, has been very fascinating to me.
I think that there's a decent chance that AJ Brown ends up on the Rams.
No.
They're not gonna trade him till after June, but there is no way that they are keeping AJ Brown, just 'cause Howie Roseman wants you to think that so that he gets more for AJ Brown.
It was done last season.
Like, do people forget how toxic it was there in Philadelphia?
Do people forget?
Nobody wanted to coordinate that offense because of H- even though it's loaded with stars, nobody wanted to coordinate that offense because it was toxic there.
They got their ass kicked by the 49ers backups in a playoff game.
He's not gonna be there next year.
He's gonna get traded.
We know the Rams are already interested.
The Rams make big swings, plus I think the Rams are in DGAF mode because they know this could be Stafford's last year.
I think they're gonna go for it.
I would not be shocked at all if AJ Brown ends up on the Rams.
No.
God, I don't wanna hear that.
I don't wanna hear that.
A- and, and you just want to piss me off, right?
Like You know, the other thing too about the, the free agency group, and I want 49ers fans to understand this, is that this free agency group wasn't exactly, like, loaded.
There's been plenty more years where there's been way more Like, when Mike Evans is the prize at 33- you know, or you're like, "Oh, Alec Pierce is gonna be our number one," good luck.
I don't wanna be in that spot where I'm like, you know, trying to depend on Mike Evans at 33.
Now, obviously the 49ers have different weapons and things like that.
Like, I'm talking about other teams.
And then turning Alec Pierce into somebody that he's never been, and getting rid of Michael Pittman, I don't wanna be in that spot.
I definitely don't wanna be in that spot.
So there's a lot of ways that this can go.
There's a lot of edge rushers that are still out there.
The 49ers are still gonna have to do that.
But the wide receiver room, you know, Christian Kirk, one year, six million.
Hollywood Brown.
You know, now all you're left with is, like, Tim Patrick and- Kalif Raymond, and, you know, like, ooh, things are starting to get a little rough.
Like, even Kendrick Bourne's not available, like you said, so.
Trawan Jennings, meanwhile, still out there.
You better talk to your agent, dude.
Like, you better stop, like, walking into a room and being like, "I want 20 million," with a straight face.
What in the world?
Why would he think that he could get 20 million?
20 million dollars a year?
You've never even had a 1,000-yard season, dude.
You're slow as hell.
You're in the best offense in the league.
You have a guy that can get you open, and you think some team's gonna give you $20 million?
Why would they do that when they could just draft so- I don't know what advice he got, but man, was he dead wrong.
Oh, baby.
this is not Oh, Kalif Raymond signed, Ariel said.
Oh, there you go.
Who cares?
Yeah, who cares?
Like, that's the point, right?
Like, it's just, there's, there's nobody left right now.
Trawan Jen- Kirk never had 1,000 yards and got 18 million four years ago.
Yes, the Jacksonville Jaguars believed a lot in him, 100%.
And they got crushed for that contract, by the way.
Everybody- Yeah got through that deal.
They got crushed because we're looking at Deebo Samuel like, God damn it, don't look at him and say, like, "Oh, that's what I want."
Like, you, you tripled his numbers in the first year.
But yeah, the, the 49ers has not really left anything in wide receiver.
I still suspect them to go in the draft.
Same thing with, with edge.
I do think you need another edge as well too.
Mm-hmm.
so I think the 49ers are in a good spot, Rob.
I'm, I'm really excited about where this off-season's gone so far.
I think they have done just about, from where they were and what they had to do, I think you could argue they've done about as good as you could've expected.
now, maybe you wanted them to go sign Linderbaum.
Okay, that was never gonna happen, not when he got $28 million a year and the 49ers- That's ridiculous take Jake Brendel for $4 million a year.
Like, they're, they're- And they think he's one of the best centers in the league, so.
They're gonna say Linderbaum's not seven times better than Jake Brendel.
So I think they've done as, you know, as good as they could've done.
We gotta see what they do in the draft, but damn, I'm ready, man.
Start the season up now.
Let's go.
Yeah, 100%.
That'll do it for this episode of the Bully Ball Podcast on the Gold Standard Podcast Network.
Thank you guys for tuning in.
Make sure you like this video, subscribe to the channel, hit that notification bell for when we go live.
Make sure you follow Rob on Twitter, @statsonfire, on Twitter.
follow me, @jasonapate2103.
Follow the YouTube channel, that I have.
And make sure you guys are subscribed to the Gold Standard Podcast Network wherever you get your audio podcasts.
Rob, thank you for joining me, man, again.
yeah, you know, things are moving in the right direction, I would say.
And Vinnie says, "Jay, hope your back is better.
Great show, fellas."
I'm feeling better.
Yeah.
But I wanna knock on wood first, so we're getting there.
We're getting there.
But, for Jay, for Rob, we're out of here.
Peace.
