SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Standing at a podium little more than six months removed from a breakthrough third NFL season, San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk ponders a question about the success he enjoyed during the 2022 season and how it's shaped his approach to an encore.
After a brief pause, Aiyuk rattles off plays he remembered most from last year: deep-ball targets against Carolina and Seattle, touchdown-catch opportunities against the Los Angeles Chargers and in the playoffs against the Seahawks. It quickly becomes apparent that Aiyuk isn't talking about the many big plays he made, but the ones he didn't.
The plays stream out of Aiyuk's mouth with no hesitation, as though they're never far from his mind.
"Going back on it, you get to see some of the success and then also some of the stuff that didn't go well," Aiyuk said. "It wasn't just about seeing success but seeing opportunities missed and what it could look like had those been made."
To be sure, Aiyuk's 2022 season was the best of his young career. On a team loaded with skill-position talent such as tight end George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey, it was Aiyuk who led the team in receiving yards (1,015) and receptions (78) in 2022. He was second in touchdown receptions with eight.
Upon breaking the 1,000-yard receiving mark, Aiyuk became the the 11th wide receiver in franchise history to reach that threshold but he wasn't the only one pondering what his final numbers might have looked like had it not been for the missed opportunities.
"I talk to him all the time, I say you are going from 800 yards your first year to 900 your second year, now this year you hit 1,000," 49ers receivers coach Leonard Hankerson said. "But how close were you to having 1,400 yards? And three or four more touchdowns? ... Him continuing to have that open mindset of 'Every day I've gotta work on everything and I've gotta still prove myself.'"
With those misses serving as fuel, Aiyuk dominated in the spring and has returned to this training camp by re-establishing himself as one of the brightest stars in the Niners' galaxy. Whether it's Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold or Brandon Allen at quarterback, Aiyuk has made quick work of every defender thrown his way and hauled in multiple catches in team periods at every practice.
In the locker room, teammates have noted Aiyuk is carrying himself in a way they've never seen from him.
"From year one to now, his confidence level is through the roof," Samuel said. "He walks in, he walks out every day like 'Nobody can guard me.' You walk around with that type of attitude and you take it out there to the field, it can only translate. He took his game to another level."
Aiyuk's on-field dominance has been so obvious that everyone, from the cornerbacks on the wrong end of one of Aiyuk's ankle-breaking routes to the fullback who has many other responsibilities on a given play, has showered him with praise.
"It is just so hard not to recognize how well BA has been playing," fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. "He really has been so dominant and each and every day it seems like he's the best player on the field."
Aiyuk's emergence over the past two years has rendered the bizarre start to his second season, in which Aiyuk was sharing time with journeyman Trent Sheffield, a distant memory. What has changed?
Aiyuk, the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has been able to move past the practice and offseason constraints thrust on him by COVID-19 protocols. Over the past two years, the NFL offseason has taken a normal shape, allowing Aiyuk to develop his own methods for offseason workouts. This offseason, that meant putting an emphasis on running more and worrying less about developing his upper body. The goal was to get his wind up so he can run all day without tiring.
Hankerson has seen Aiyuk dive deeper into film study and notes that the receiver is receptive to all coaching, takes care of his body and truly cares about the things that go beyond simply catching the ball, such as blocking. In the process, Shanahan has no doubt about where Aiyuk's focus lies.
"Last year I thought was the best year that he's had and you usually know how they react to that based off the offseason and he's been obsessed this offseason with football," Shanahan said. "You can tell he enjoys talking about it, he enjoys preparing for it and he's truly become a pro. And the results I think will keep showing."
If Aiyuk can translate his camp performance to games, it would mean big things for his financial future. Despite San Francisco receiving offseason trade interest from teams hoping the Niners would part with Aiyuk because of increasing costs elsewhere on the roster, the Niners have always intended to keep him around. They exercised Aiyuk's fifth-year option on his rookie contract in May. That means he's under San Francisco's team control for the 2024 season at an estimated cost of $14.12 million.
That means the Niners could face some difficult roster decisions, with Samuel's salary cap number slated to jump from $8.65 million in 2023 to $28.5 million in 2024. Still, the Niners view Aiyuk as a key part of the next generation of 49ers stars they hope can keep their contending window open longer. There will be time to sort through all of that but for now, Aiyuk and the Niners are eager to see what it looks like when Aiyuk's list of missed opportunities land on his highlight reel instead.
"He wants to be the best in the league," Hankerson said. "When you have that mentality, you're going to do anything you can to make sure everybody knows your name."