4 issues to learn about Brandon Aiyuk extension with 49ers, plus rating most certainly worst-to-first staff

Welcome to the Friday version of the Choose Six e-newsletter! 

I hope everybody makes huge plans with their household and buddies this weekend, as a result of that is the ultimate weekend with out NFL soccer till February. After this weekend, there aren’t any plans, until these plans contain watching soccer. I advised my 4-year-old we may do something she needs this weekend, and she or he selected Chuck E. Cheese, which might be an issue, as a result of I am not even certain these nonetheless exist (OK, so I simply Google’d it and it seems they do, so I assume I will be at Chuck E. Cheese all weekend). 

Earlier than we get to at present’s e-newsletter, I want to move alongside one word: There WILL be a e-newsletter on Monday (Labor Day), and also you’re undoubtedly going to need to learn it as a result of that is after I’ll be unveiling ALL of my predictions for all the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, you most likely do not care about what’s coming Monday. You care about what’s coming at present, so let’s get to the rundown. 

As at all times, here is your each day reminder to inform all your mates to enroll in the e-newsletter. To get them signed up, all it’s a must to do is click here. 

1. Particulars on Brandon Aiyuk’s new contract, plus how the Broncos virtually factored in to the drama

After a full offseason of drama with Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers lastly received their disgruntled receiver beneath contract on Thursday, and the absurd factor is that Aiyuk apparently agreed to a deal that the 49ers have had on the desk since Aug. 12, according to ESPN. The 49ers did not up their supply to get issues performed yesterday, Aiyuk simply caved and eventually accepted the supply that the 49ers had given him greater than two weeks in the past. 

Listed here are 4 issues it’s essential know: 

• Aiyuk is getting $30 million per yr. The 26-year-old landed a four-year, $120 million extension that features $76 million in assured cash. Aiyuk is now tied with Tyreek Hill for the title of fifth-highest paid receiver within the NFL. 
• Aiyuk may have left city, however determined to remain. The Browns and Patriots each had beneficiant affords on the desk for Aiyuk, however the receiver did not need to go to Cleveland or New England, so a deal did not get performed. The 49ers additionally labored out a take care of the Steelers, however that deal additionally fell by means of in the long run. We broke down why the Steelers may really be higher off with out Aiyuk, and you can check that out here. 
• Broncos have been the deciding consider Aiyuk NOT getting traded to Pittsburgh. If the 49ers have been going to commerce Aiyuk, they wished somebody to exchange him, and so they had their eye on somebody over the previous month. In response to The Athletic, the 49ers tried to make a trade with Denver for Courtland Sutton and if that deal would have occurred, then San Francisco would have shipped Aiyuk off to Pittsburgh in what would have basically been a three-way commerce. The 49ers supplied a third-round choose to the Broncos, however they stated no. You can read more about that fun twist here. 
• Deebo Samuel’s future now up within the air in San Francisco. Former NFL agent Joel Corry thinks it is unlikely that the 49ers preserve each Samuel and Aiyuk in 2025, particularly since Brock Purdy will likely be in line to get an extension after the 2024 season. With Aiyuk getting a brand new deal, Corry thinks Samuel would be the odd man out. “Welcome to the Deebo Samuel farewell tour,” Corry wrote. “I’ve at all times thought both Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk can be with the 49ers in 2025, not each. 49ers will save $9,057,529 in wage cap area by buying and selling Samuel in 2025. It is a $24,200,529 cap quantity versus $15.143 million in lifeless cash.” You may see our full breakdown of Samuel’s situation here. 

Though Aiyuk is now beneath contract, the drama nonetheless is not over in San Francisco. The staff’s All-Professional sort out, Trent Williams, continues to be holding out and he is reportedly able to miss video games if the 49ers do not give him a elevate. The staff has simply 10 days till their season opener towards the Jets, and if they need Williams to play in that recreation, they’re doubtless going to want to get a brand new deal performed in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent few days. 

Williams missed two video games in the course of the 2023 season and the 49ers misplaced each of them. 

2. Rating the groups most certainly to go from worst to first in 2024

One factor that makes the NFL so entertaining yearly is the truth that it is one of the unpredictable sports activities on the planet, and nothing proves that greater than the league’s means to supply at the very least one staff each season that goes from worst to first.  

Final yr, that staff was the Houston Texans. After ending with an unpleasant document of 3-13-1 in 2022, the Texans rebounded in an enormous method in 2023 by profitable the AFC South., which ought to give some hope to each staff that completed on the backside of its division final season. 

So which staff has the very best likelihood to be this yr’s Texans? 

Listed here are the rankings I got here up with (If you happen to really feel like yelling at me on Twitter about how dangerous the rankings are, feel free to do so here). 

Groups with the very best likelihood to go from worst to first:

1. Bengals
2. Bears
3. Chargers
4. Commanders
5. Panthers
6. Titans
7. Cardinals
8. Patriots

If you happen to’re questioning how I got here up with these rankings, then you are going to should learn my full story, which you can do by clicking here. 

3. Rating the largest challengers to a Chiefs three-peat

For the previous two years, the Chiefs have steamrolled their method by means of the NFL, and now, they’re on the cusp of doing the unattainable: profitable three Tremendous Bowls in a row. No staff in NFL historical past has ever received three in a row, however the Chiefs may make it occur until somebody can step up and beat them. 

So who’s the largest challenger to Kansas Metropolis’s three-peat bid? Glad you requested. Cody Benjamin answered that query at present by rating the highest challengers. Let’s check out the highest three groups in his rankings: 

1. 49ers. “It is the simple reply, however that does not imply it is the flawed one. … The well being of key weapons Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel is at all times price monitoring, as is the contractual standing of Brandon Aiyuk (Word: It is since been resolved), however the 2023 runner-ups stay one of many NFL’s most balanced groups, full with an almost unmatched schemer.”

2. Bengals. “Whereas everybody flocks to foretell one other Ravens run or an enormous leap by the quarterback-shuffling Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals are busy getting ready to reintroduce the Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase-Tee Higgins triumvirate to the NFL. Neither Burrow nor Higgins was absolutely wholesome in 2023, and whereas contract talks loom over Chase, he isn’t going wherever.”

3. Texans. “Houston may gain advantage from a wide-open AFC South, however the largest cause the Texans needs to be on everybody’s radar is second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, who flashed MVP stuff in 2023. So long as his entrance and out of doors weapons keep wholesome, he needs to be primed to sling it once more. DeMeco Ryans’ protection, in the meantime, needs to be even higher in help. … The short- and long-term future appears brilliant.”

Cody really ranked 10 groups, and if you wish to see who else made the record, you can see his full story here. 

4. NFL finest bets: Taking a look at our prime over/beneath picks for the 2024 season

Between now and the beginning of the season, we will offer loads of predictions, picks and finest bets, and that begins proper now with our annual over/beneath picks. Jordan Dajani rounded up 13 of our NFL writers right here at CBS Sports activities and all of us supplied our two finest over/beneath bets for the 2024 season and we will cowl 5 of these bets right here. 

• John Breech: Lions OVER 10.5 (-130). “The Lions received 12 video games final season and I believe their roster is definitely even higher this yr, so I will not be shocked in the event that they win at the very least 12 video games once more. Additionally, the Lions get to play 13 of their first 14 video games indoors, which looks like a superb factor for a staff that that appears to thrive when taking part in inside.”
• Pete Prisco: Packers OVER 9.5 (-160). “This staff is loaded and we noticed what Jordan Love can do within the second half of final season. The change in defensive coordinators will actually assist. They’re the staff to beat of their division in my thoughts.”
• Bryan DeArdo: Chargers UNDER 9 (-135). “Is somebody seeing one thing I am not? For no matter cause, the Chargers’ win whole is ready at 9 video games regardless of an unproven receiving corps, a brand new head coach who hasn’t coached within the NFL since 2014 and play in a division that features the two-time defending Tremendous Bowl champions (together with a Broncos staff that I anticipate will likely be higher than most anticipate).”
• Jordan Dajani: Titans OVER 6.5 (+115). “I am going to chunk. Do not you suppose with the additions of L’Jarius Snead, Chidobe Awuzie, Ernest Jones, T’Vondre Sweat, Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd, JC Latham and Lloyd Cushenberry the Titans, who went 6-11 final yr, can enhance on their 2023 document by simply ONE win?”
• Will Brinson: Payments OVER 10.5 (+135). “Buffalo is getting the identical remedy in 2024 because the Chiefs received in 2022 once they traded away Tyreek Hill. Stefon Diggs’ absence hurts nevertheless it may find yourself being a web constructive for the locker room and for turning Josh Allen into a greater general distributor of the soccer.”

You can check out all 24 of our best bets here.

5. NFL gamers select shock identify as most overrated QB within the league

If you happen to requested me to call essentially the most overrated quarterback within the NFL proper now, I do know one particular person I would not identify, and that is Josh Allen. Nevertheless, evidently NFL gamers do not feel the identical method. 

In a recent poll conducted by ESPN, 103 nameless NFL gamers have been requested to call essentially the most overrated quarterback within the league, and Allen was the highest reply. The Payments quarterback received 11 votes, which put him barely forward of Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, who each obtained 10 votes.

Though Allen received ranked as essentially the most overrated QB, there are quite a lot of gamers on the market who respect his recreation. In the identical ballot, gamers have been requested to rank the highest three quarterbacks within the NFL and Allen really fared fairly effectively there. 

This is how the gamers ranked the highest quarterbacks: 

1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Joe Burrow
4. Josh Allen

One different fascinating facet from this ballot is {that a} Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback was voted essentially the most underrated QB. Matthew Stafford tied with Brock Purdy for essentially the most votes within the underrated class. They each received 14 votes whereas no different QB received greater than seven votes. 

You can check out the full poll here. Additionally, if you wish to understand how Josh Allen RESPONDED to being voted essentially the most overrated quarterback, we have got you covered here. In associated information, Allen was additionally voted the very best trash-talker, which he appeared to be happy with. 

6. Additional factors: Dolphins head coach will get extension

It has been a busy 24 hours within the NFL, and because it’s almost unattainable to maintain observe of every part that occurred, I went forward and put collectively a roundup for you.

• Mike McDaniel will get extension from Dolphins. After watching McDaniel lead Miami to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Dolphins have rewarded him with a three-year extension. McDaniel’s unique take care of the staff was slated to run out in 2025, however he is now under contract through 2028. 
• Prescott extension earlier than begin of season seeming much less doubtless. Jerry Jones appeared to trace on Thursday that the Cowboys may not be capable of get an extension performed earlier than subsequent week. “You can simply say, if you happen to hadn’t seen it by now, you have not seen it,” Jones stated. Prescott then had what was probably the very best response ever. “I ended listening to issues that [Jerry] says to the media a very long time in the past. Would not actually maintain weight with me,” Prescott stated. You may learn extra in regards to the feedback from Prescott and Jones here. 
• Ja’Marr Chase sits out one other apply. For the second straight day, Chase attended apply, however he did not take part. If Chase continues to be sitting out of practices come subsequent week, that would put his availability in jeopardy for the season opener towards New England. As we talked about yesterday, Chase is searching for a contract that pays him one penny greater than Justin Jefferson (Details here), and if the Bengals aren’t prepared to present that to him, it may create some drama subsequent week. 
• Rashee Rice doubtless eligible to play in Week 1. There had been some hypothesis that the Chiefs receiver may be suspended to start out of the season, nevertheless it does not seem like that is going to occur. The NFL goes let Rice’s authorized scenario play out earlier than meting out any doable punishment, which makes it unlikely that he’ll be suspended this yr, if he will get suspended in any respect. You can get the full details on Rice here.  
• Jets GM offers replace on Haason Reddick. It is wanting an increasing number of like Reddick will not be on the sphere for New York’s opener towards the 49ers. Reddick has been holding out as a result of he needs a brand new contract. The Jets need him to come back in earlier than they give thought to doing it, however he needs it performed earlier than he reviews to the staff. It is a traditional “hen and egg” scenario. Jets GM Joe Douglas stated his place on the matter hasn’t modified. “I believe we have been clear from the outset: Let’s get right here after which let’s speak,” Douglas stated, via ESPN. Reddick, Trent Williams and Ja’Marr Chase are the largest names to keep watch over to see if they really play in Week 1. 
• Ravens to debut purple helmet in Week 10. For the primary time in franchise historical past, the Ravens will likely be carrying a purple helmet and the brand new look will likely be making its debut for a Thursday night time recreation on Nov. 7 towards the Bengals. If you have not seen the brand new purple helmet, you can check it out here. 
• Eagles will not be carrying inexperienced in Brazil. The Eagles are the house staff for the Brazil recreation this yr, and since it’s frowned upon to wear green within the stadium they’re taking part in in (Corinthians Enviornment), the staff has determined to not put on inexperienced. As a substitute, the Eagles will put on their black helmet with a white jersey and black pants (The Eagles are the house staff within the recreation, in order that they received to choose their uniform combo). Then again, the Packers will be wearing their standard green jersey with gold pants.