San Francisco 49ers legend Steve Young had quite the unorthodox metaphor for how he sees the dynamic between head coach Kyle Shanahan and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk so far this season.
Aiyuk signed a $120 million extension just before the season after a lengthy and dramatic contract dispute. He’s mostly struggled on the field through six games, though, with no touchdowns and only 23 catches on 41 attempts, earning scorn from 49ers fans and media members alike.
When Young made his weekly appearance on KNBR’s “Tolbert and Copes” show Wednesday evening, co-host Tom Tolbert brought up Aiyuk’s underperformance since getting paid and said it’s time for Aiyuk to play like the other well-paid and big-name receivers around the NFL. That led Young to offer his unique perspective.
“You ever just wonder about Kyle a little bit that — I feel like he puts people in the corner with the dunce cap on sometimes,” Young said. “… You know how, in the old days, they put your nose in the corner?”
Young then joked that Tolbert “probably had that a lot” before saying he himself was locked in the closet by his first grade teacher. Then he went back to his point on Shanahan and Aiyuk.
“You ever think about Kyle a little bit that he — I’m sure he doesn’t, because he’s out there every week trying to slay the dragon, and he needs everybody, every bit of help — but it feels like the plays that are called, there’s a combination of such that puts people in a position to go thrive,” Young said. “I think Brandon needs to demand it in that way, right? Like, I think that’s what Kyle responds to, is a demand of it. Like, ‘I’ve done the work. I’m ready for this. Give me the freaking ball now.’ It just feels like there’s been a lack of clarity around exactly those plays. What are the combinations that get him the ball?”
Shanahan has indeed pushed Aiyuk to the side before, most notably at the start of the 2021 season. This year, Aiyuk had a strong game against the Cardinals in Week 5, finishing with eight catches for 147 yards, but he hasn’t reached 50 receiving yards in any of the other five games and has had three games with just two catches.
So while Shanahan hasn’t made any big declarations about Aiyuk this time around, Young seems to think there’s a disconnect between Aiyuk and the 49ers offense. But the Hall of Famer sees the ability in Aiyuk still and remains hopeful he can rebound from this rough patch.
“I gotta believe that … like the Chiefs last year, his game will get better and better,” Young said. “And then by the end of the season, we’re gonna say, ‘Freaking one of the best guys in the league.’ And if it’s not, I think we’ll all be super bummed about it.”
That point was mostly left on its own as Young and Tolbert spent the next four minutes exchanging stories about various methods of school punishment they either received personally or heard about. The bizarre segment included Tolbert meticulously detailing the time he got swatted with a wooden paddle as a senior in high school, Young recalling getting slapped with a ruler across his knuckles, and Tolbert dodging an eraser filled with chalk as a seventh grader.
As for Aiyuk, he and the 49ers are slated to have their Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs on Sunday, with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. on