Brandon Aiyuk destroyed plenty of fantasy lineups with his goose egg against the Lions, failing to register a single target in Week 1. Chosen with the 25th pick in last year’s draft, Aiyuk paced the Niners in receiving yards (748) as a rookie but apparently, he’s failed to impress coach Kyle Shanahan, who barely played him in Sunday’s opener. Aiyuk’s de facto benching—he logged fewer snaps than teammate Trent Sherfield (27-26)—came as a surprise to many, though when pressed on the subject, Shanahan insisted he wasn’t trying to “punish” the 23-year-old.
“It’s like every player. You’ve got to grow in every single area. I know this [seems] like we’re punishing Aiyuk or something because Trent got even reps with him, or we rotated those guys,” said Shanahan of his second-year receiver. “I’m not going to sit here and say he’s got to do A, B or C to get back out there. It’s more we’ve been practicing the last month, and one guy’s been there every day and the quarterback’s got a lot of confidence in him. If he wants to be out there every single play, he’s got to be a lot better than the guy behind him.”
There’s been plenty of tough love going around in San Francisco with Shanahan making clear that players, no matter their pedigree or past success, will have to earn their role. That same sentiment applies to Trey Sermon, who, despite a star-making performance in last year’s Big Ten title game (331 yards on 29 carries against Northwestern), didn’t even dress for Sunday’s opener in the Motor City. Whether his criticism is genuine or merely a motivational tactic, it’s obvious Shanahan wants to see more than Aiyuk has shown him in the early going.
Beat reporter Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area gave a similar assessment of Aiyuk, noting that his play tailed off “dramatically” this summer after injuring his hamstring late in training camp. Maiocco also seemed to imply maturity issues factoring in Aiyuk’s regression, claiming the Arizona State alum is “still learning how to be a pro.”
Operating as a distant fourth in San Francisco’s receiving pecking order behind Deebo Samuel, Sherfield and All-Pro tight end George Kittle, Aiyuk appears to have his work cut out for him escaping Shanahan’s doghouse.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram