As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for the upcoming 2023 NFL season, the offense is under a lot of scrutiny. Who will the starting quarterback be? Just how good is the offense capable of being?
Obviously, everyone knows that the 49ers’ defense is going to be among the NFL’s elite. Nick Bosa and company are always going to put a lot of pressure on opposing offenses. For San Francisco, the offense is what needs to step up the most.
Thankfully, things are looking great on all fronts for the 49ers’ offense. Brock Purdy, the likely starting quarterback, is progressing well in his recovery from injury. Brandon Aiyuk, an extremely talented wide receiver who has yet to put it all together, is turning heads in a big way so far this offseason.
George Kittle has taken notice of what Aiyuk is doing on the field in camp. He spoke out frankly about it, and indirectly issued a warning to the rest of the NFL about the young wideout.
“I think one guy that you guys are going to love to watch is Brandon Aiyuk,” Kittle said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “Holy cow. He was cooking our defense all of OTAs. It was so fun to watch. . . . We have like six mouths to feed on our offense. And so, if he was in an offense where he was the number one choice and got 12 targets a game, he’d probably have 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns a year. He’s fantastic.”
Aiyuk has been very open about his support for Purdy since the young quarterback took over from Jimmy Garoppolo. He appears poised to have a massive breakout season in 2023.
During the 2022 season with the 49ers, Aiyuk ended up catching 78 passes for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers excited the fan base and for good reason. If he can keep up that production consistently, the San Francisco offense will be nearly impossible to stop with Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey firing on all cylinders.
Expect to see Brandon Aiyuk live up to the hype this season. The hard work he has put in and his connection with Purdy will pay off in a big way. This is just another reason that opponents should fear the 49ers on both sides of the ball.
