Latest news with #SuperBowl58
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Reports: 49ers' Jauan Jennings requesting new contract or trade
Jauan Jennings is doing his best Jerry Maguire impression: he's asking the San Francisco 49ers to show him the money. Jennings, 28, is entering his walk year in 2025 after he signed a two-year, $15.4 million contract extension with the 49ers last May. And according to a report from ESPN, he's asking San Francisco to grant him another contract extension or a trade to another team that might pay him. The 2020 seventh-round pick has become something of a rising star for the 49ers in recent years. During the team's Super Bowl 58 clash with the 49ers after the 2023 season, Jennings became the second player to catch and throw for a touchdown in a Super Bowl after Nick Foles did it in Super Bowl 52. In 2024, Jennings' production reached new heights during the regular season, particularly in the wake of fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk's season-ending knee injury. 49ERS NEWS: RB Christian McCaffrey feels 'great' entering camp Jauan Jennings stats Jennings caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns last season, all of which were new career highs. His 77 receptions were just one behind tight end George Kittle for the team lead. His receiving yards and touchdown totals were also both second on the team behind Kittle. Barring a trade or potential holdout, Jennings' contributions to the 49ers' passing attack were expected to maintain pace if not grow in 2025. His 2024 season showed No. 1 receiver capabilities in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Further, San Francisco's trade of wideout Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders seemed to cement Jennings' future as a top pass-catcher for the team. Jauan Jennings contract Jennings is set to make $7.5 million this season, per ESPN. His request for a contract extension is ill-timed for the 49ers, who worked out extensions for star linebacker Fred Warner, quarterback Brock Purdy and Kittle earlier this offseason. And that all came one year after extending Brandon Aiyuk on a four-year deal. Though those deals locked up four of the team's most important players, they've also significantly shrunk the 49ers' cap space in the coming years. Finding the money for a Jennings extension may be a difficult task.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
49ers QB Brock Purdy: Trent Williams is 'my binkie' on the blind side
The San Francisco 49ers endured a tough 2024 campaign following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. Things took a turn late in the offseason when top draft pick Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery. Injuries and more off-field issues contributed to a six-win campaign, tied for the fewest in the last five years for the franchise. Injuries piled up on both sides of the ball but hit some on the offense hardest. Star running back Christian McCaffrey missed most of the season and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7. Protector of the Year: Trent Williams, top candidates to win best offensive lineman award One of the biggest losses came on the offensive line as first-team All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams missed seven games with an ankle injury. For quarterback Brock Purdy, that was a key loss down the second half of the season. "Last year he got hurt towards the end and it's just different," Purdy said on the July 8 episode of the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast. "Obviously, whoever gets thrown in I trust and we're good... [but] he's locked down over there. He's my little safety blanket. I'm like 'I need my binkie' and I need him to be in the game." Prior to 2024, Williams had made the Pro Bowl in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The lone exception was 2019 which he missed when recovering from surgery to remove cancer. He was a first-team All-Pro from 2021 to 2023 with San Francisco. "You watch his run game and the stuff, the moves that he does, it's like 'what the heck?'" Purdy said. "He does this ninja move thing and then pushes guys in the ground... as a right-handed quarterback, knowing that my left side dude is good, I can't even describe to you." 'We have pretty lofty expectations': George Kittle on 49ers in 2025 Williams is entering his age-37 season in 2025 but says he is not considering retirement anytime soon. 'I just feel like I do myself and my teammates a disservice if I'm looking toward the end,' Williams said during minicamp. 'I'm paid, people count on me to be here now. We got goals and aspirations as a team. I just don't think putting brain power toward that helps us get to where we want to go." San Francisco starts training camp on July 15 for rookies and July 22 for veterans like Williams and Purdy.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
From duvet covers to tracksuits: Dunkin' bringing back limited-edition merch
From duvet covers to tracksuits: Dunkin' bringing back limited-edition merch Show Caption Hide Caption Dunkin' Donuts gives pit bull VIP treatment for his birthday Apollo the dog goes viral after a Dunkin' Donut shop celebrates his birthday with a song and a tasty treat in Chester, New York. USA Today Dunkin' is bringing back sold-out merchandise, including the DunKings tracksuit worn by Ben Affleck for Super Bowl 58, in support of a good cause. The merch drop coincides with Dunkin' Iced Coffee Day on June 18, an annual fundraiser for the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, a non-profit organization that "provides grants to hundreds of nonprofits each year making a difference in the lives of kids battling hunger or illness across the country." One dollar from every iced coffee and cold brew sold at participating Dunkin' locations nationwide will be donated to the foundation, which is powered by powered by Dunkin' and franchisees, partners, employees and guests. "One hundred percent of the donated funds raised on Dunkin' Iced Coffee Day will go back to local communities, supporting health and hunger relief organizations that share the Foundation's commitment to delivering joy to kids when and where it's needed most," Dunkin said in a June 12 news release. Dunkin' says 100% of proceeds from sales on will also support the foundation while supplies last. DunKings merch, more returns on Dunkin' Iced Coffee Day All sorts of Dunkin' merch, including clothing and a donut pool, will return to Dunkin's online shop on June 18, while supplies last. "Dunkin' is bringing back previous launches and past sold-out merchandise," Dunkin' said in the news release. "From the brand's first-ever wedding merch collection to Dunkin' duvet covers, fan-favorite pieces are making a comeback on June 18." Customers get a "second chance to shop while supporting a joyful cause." The price range for the products was not immediately available.
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Georgia WR announces NFL retirement to pursue new career
Georgia WR announces NFL retirement to pursue new career Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Chris Conley has chosen to hang up the cleats. The 10-year NFL veteran is retiring to pursue a career in filmography, he posted on his Instagram. Conley started by saying, "When I was a kid I wrote down a set of goals. On that list was 'Play 10 years in the NFL.' Now that this goal has been accomplished, it's time to set sights on something new." He will be attending film school at his alma mater Georgia. Conley was a four-star wide receiver coming out of high school when Georgia recruited him in 2011. Conley played four seasons at Georgia, becoming on of Aaron Murray's most dependable targets. Through 49 games at UGA, he racked up 1,938 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was a part of the Bulldogs' 2012 SEC championship, but unfortunately, he's infamous for catching the pass on Georgia's final play five yards away from the end zone. The Bulldogs lost to Alabama 32-28. At the NFL combine, he put on a show, running a 4.35 and vertical jumping 45 inches. In the 2015 NFL draft, The Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the third round. In the NFL, Conley had stops with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and San Francisco 49ers. Through 10 years, he had 2,998 yards and 15 touchdowns on 226 receptions. With San Francisco, he played in Super Bowl 58, although he wasn't able to win it against Kansas City, but he made some outstanding plays on special teams. "The past 10 years have been a dream," Conley wrote. "Getting the opportunity to play in the league was an honor and whether it was catching touchdowns or blocking for them, I truly gave it my all."
The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
49ers should learn from Chiefs and stop making Super Bowl excuses
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, was asked about the challenge of resetting and resuming the relentless football grind after a Super Bowl defeat - February's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles preventing Kansas City from becoming the first team to capture three successive Lombardi Trophies. "I feel like I focus every year, because I know how special of a run that we're on and how many years left I'll have with all these great players and a great team," said Mahomes. "And every team is different and you don't want to miss an opportunity. "When you lose a Super Bowl, I think there's sometimes in those workouts - you might be a little tired - (but) you have that extra, added motivation to finish even harder or finish even stronger." NFL POWER RANKINGS: Where teams stand post-draft It was the latest insight into the mindset of Mahomes and his dynasty - and both might have a case as the greatest in league history by the time their runs conclude - especially in the face of their rare setbacks. And let's not forget, the 2024 Chiefs somehow won a franchise record 15 regular-season games and, then, the conference - even though they couldn't protect Mahomes (sacked a career-high 36 times), couldn't consistently run the ball and lost No. 1 wideout Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Compare that to the 2024 49ers, who followed up their overtime loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl 58 with a 6-11 campaign - their worst since 2018, when the team was forced to use three starting quarterbacks. And, yes, last season's Niners were stripped of several key players - Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw, Javon Hargrave - due to injuries for most of the year. Yet coach Kyle Shanahan, who previously signaled his most recent outfit was out of sorts from training camp on, admitted Thursday, "I felt guys weren't ready to come back. And I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year." The dreaded Super Bowl hangover, emotional debilitation or whatever you want to call it felt like the latest excuse for an organization that's had several as its championship drought now extends beyond three decades. There was former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's fourth-quarter overthrow of wide open Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl 54, a game the 49ers probably win if the connection is made. There was safety Jaquiski Tartt's dropped interception in the fourth quarter of the 2021 NFC championship game - and if he hangs on, San Francisco (not the Los Angeles Rams) almost surely reaches Super Bowl 56. Then there was the late defensive collapse and Shanahan's controversial decision to receive the opening kickoff of overtime in Super Bowl 58 - which actually might have been the right call regardless - which Kansas City ultimately claimed 25-22 on a game-ending touchdown. The Niners have also been occasionally sideswiped by major injuries in recent seasons and always seem to be in the midst of significant contractual issues every summer - though that shouldn't be the case in 2025, especially now that Brock Purdy is no longer on the quarterbacking version of welfare. Still, funny how that stuff never seems to affect the Chiefs, who will reach the league's version of the final four no matter what roadblocks are thrown in front of them. Coach Andy Reid attributes much of it to his veteran leaders, players like Mahomes who don't skate during or skip out on the team's offseason program. "All the good leaders have been here," Reid said. "It's good to have them there. When they're there, it's a certain energy that comes with it. Expectations from all the ... new guys - free agent type or the college kids - and they set a tempo with that." Meanwhile, Shanahan's just glad to have perfect attendance for a change after so many years of having the spring and summer sidetracked in some capacity by financial standoffs between players and the front office. "I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day," Shanahan said in reference to the start of this year's offseason program. "We had every guy show up and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot." Sure does, even if Shanahan intended it as a compliment to his current crew after several expensive veterans were purged in recent months as the team cleared room for Purdy's five-year, $265 million extension. Tight end George Kittle, who was extended along with Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner, says having the business side of football resolved should help on the field. "I'm glad they decided to do that," said the six-time Pro Bowler. "That's awesome for us because now we have everybody in the building that's just focused on playing football and focusing on just getting a little bit better every single day. "It's good for football because now all we're focused on is football." San Francisco's stars paid, the team drawing the league's easiest schedule (the Niners' 2025 opponents had a collective winning percentage of .415 last season), McCaffrey apparently back to 100% and after an atypically long offseason to rest and recover, Shanahan knows this year's squad has little to rationalize. "The year before last year coming off the '23 season was one of the shorter breaks that we've had, having that tough loss in the Super Bowl and coming back really just like six weeks later," he said. "It's never fun to have January off, but those extra five weeks add up a lot, and I think guys were itching to get back this time, excited to get back, ready to go for the first day, and it's been a lot more fun that way." As for the Chiefs, saddled with another tough first-place schedule full of prime-time games plus a Week 1 pilgrimage to Brazil, they'll turn the adversity of an embarrassing Super Bowl showing into their own fun. "I think it'll be good for us at the end of the day," said Mahomes. "I mean, obviously looking back you want to win the game, but a lot of those (younger teammates) hadn't lost one - hadn't ended a season on a loss that are on this team now. So I'm sure they'll be motivated to go back out there and try to find a way to get to the Super Bowl and win it this year." A lesson the current 49ers have yet to learn and a goal they have yet to reach. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
