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In 2021, the NFL expanded each team's season from 16 to 17 games. It's almost certain that the expansion will eventually include an 18th game. While that means more NFL games for fans to enjoy each year and more revenue for the already highly-profitable league, it also means more wear and tear on the bodies of NFL players.
Knowing it is inevitable, one San Francisco 49ers star doesn't have an issue with 18-game seasons. However, there needs to be one compromise.
"I think if you throw in an extra bye, I think it would be very easy for guys," tight end
George Kittle told Boomer Esiason on his
Gametime podcast. "Just one extra week off, I think, would keep the players that you want to see week in and week out on the field every day. That's what matters. You don't want guys to be hurt. You want to see guys on the field."
Kittle knows first-hand how demanding the NFL can be on a player. He has missed 13 games over the past three seasons due to injuries, including the first two of this season.
"Football's a violent game," Kittle continued. "It's physical. It's hard to avoid contact, especially when you play on the line of scrimmage, whether offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, tight ends, running backs. Those things happen, and I think throwing in an extra bye week there—hey, they're going to up it to 18 at some point, probably.
"I don't want to speak it into existence, but it will get there at some point. I'm all for just an extra bye week. Give these buys another breather."
This isn't the first time Kittle has advocated for multiple bye weeks for each team. He did so in June while speaking with comedian Kevin Hart.
"
Seventeen games is a lot," Kittle told Hart. "It's a lot of games with one bye, whether it's Week 4 or the bye is Week 11. I'm advocating for two byes. If you can get that to happen, that would be cool."
Kittle made his 2022 debut this past weekend against the Denver Broncos after a groin injury forced him to miss Weeks 1 and 2. His four catches for 28 yards didn't make much of a difference in the game, and head coach Kyle Shanahan believes it's because the tight end is still working his way back into game shape.
"
You can't underestimate how much, when guys miss time, how hard it is to go out and play a game like that," Shanahan said on Monday. "So yeah, George, he did some good things, but he's not there yet because he hasn't been playing much. It was nice to get him back in practice more last week. It was nice to get him through the game healthy. And if we can keep that trend, I know he'll keep getting back to himself."
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
