Brandon Aiyuk seems like a different player than the one he was for the first half of this season.
Over the last five games, the second-year receiver has compiled 23 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns. In the previous six games to open the season, Aiyuk had just nine catches for 96 yards and a TD.
Both John Lynch and Aiyuk have spoken about a conversation that took place between the receiver and head coach Kyle Shanahan that turned things around this season, one that Lynch elaborated on when he joined KNBR in November.
“They both got some things off their chest, but it was very productive,” Lynch said. “And they had an honest conversation. And I think that led to Brandon understanding kind of what the frustrations were.”
On Friday, Shanahan finally broke his silence on the issue. He told Murph & Mac that the conversation was far less contentious than it has been portrayed.
“Brandon’s got a funny way of communicating, and I understand it very well,” Shanahan said on KNBR. “A lot of people have asked me that because he said we ‘had words.’ When you say we ‘had words,’ it comes off as [something more confrontational]. But it wasn’t like that at all.
“We had good words, a good dialogue, a good discussion. Not just one. Probably about 100 of them. So, it’s something that we’ve got a good relationship. He knows I push him hard, but I think he knows what my intent is. My intent is to get him to be the best receiver he can be, so he can help the Niners. And his goal is to be the best receiver he can be, one, so he can help the Niners, but [also] so he can support his family and have a hell of a career.
“So we both have the same goal, and we both need each other to reach those goals.”
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Murph & Mac weekdays from 6 – 10 a.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
