Amid a terrific 2023-2024 NFL season, 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiuk fell short of earning his first NFL Pro Bowl Games nod, only selected as an alternate.
While Aiyuk is rightfully disappointed, the 25-year-old finds solace in knowing he’ll likely have a shot to outplay the recievers selected over him during the 2024 NFL playoffs – at Levi’s Stadium.
“It was tough at first,” Aiyuk told reporters. “We'll see, probably, pretty much every one of those guys at one point. They have to come through San Francisco, so that's all good."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys), A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles), Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) all received Pro Bowl nods over Aiyuk.
But as the Arizona State product said, the 49ers would host any of those players and their respective teams if they were to matchup during the playoffs.
Regardless, Aiyuk knows what he’s accomplished this season and is aware of what’s left to do.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“I mean, I know what I did this season,” Aiyuk said. “Everybody, we want something to show for it. We want to get some accolades, get something to show for the work that we put in. But at the end of the day, I looked at this season, even though it's nowhere close to being done. What I went out to do, I would say I got to do that. So, it's all good.”
Aiyuk led the dominant 49ers offense in targets (105), receptions (75), receiving yards (1,342) and receiving yards per game (83.9) across 16 games during the regular season.
Most impressively, the 25-year-old earned the second most yards per reception (17.9) in the league this year, always offering a deep threat for MVP candidate Brock Purdy.
While Aiyuk likely won’t appear in the Pro Bowl this season, he and the 49ers have their eyes on more important games with the postsason looming.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast