Golden Nuggets: Bring on the Steelers

49ers determined to ditch old habits, start fast in 2023

“But last week, the 49ers had an unusually difficult practice after the team made its cuts to the mandatory 53-man roster.

“It was kind of surprising,” Samuel said. “I mentioned it to Kyle the day after the practice. ‘Whoa, I didn’t expect a high day after the day off.’

“It’s just the mindset and the mentality we have here as a whole. No matter what it is, we’re going out here and do our best every day.”

Report: Bosa, 49ers still need ‘significant breakthrough’ to land contract

“It really isn’t a question of is it going to be the NFL’s highest-paid pass rusher,” Rapoport said. “It sounds to me like they’re already there, already past T.J. Watt. ... This is about how close to Aaron Donald’s $31 million and change does he get — or does he get over that?”

Silver: In Nick Bosa’s contract staredown with 49ers, management needs to cave (paywall)

“I suspect that something else could be at play. Specifically, the 49ers’structuring of contracts — typically including “exercisable option bonuses” that give management until April 1 in a given year to decide if that season’s salary (or a portion thereof) will be fully guaranteed for skill, injury and cap.

Such a device affords the team the ability to peruse the free-agent market for potential replacements before deciding to commit, creating a scenario in which the Niners can release a player well into free agency, when most teams have used up the bulk of their budgets. This was a central issue in Kittle’s staredown with the Niners three years ago, with the tight end ultimately earning a major concession (pushing back each season’s guarantee trigger by an entire year) and landing a five-year, $75 million extension in mid-August.”

49ers’ teammates open up as Nick Bosa’s contract holdout reaches 41 days (paywall)

“We’ve just got to play with who we’ve got,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said. “We would love to have Bosa, obviously. I think that’s a no-brainer. Best defensive player in the NFL. For us, we’ve just got to prepare as if he’s not going to be here.”

Injury updates from 49ers last practice before regular season schedule begins

“While there’s no official practice participation report due for Monday’s session, there were still some notable injury-related updates from reporters on site.”

The night Brock Purdy convinced the 49ers he could be their 2023 starter (paywall)

“It was almost game time on a crisp, 39-degree night in Seattle. The San Francisco 49ers players were in the midst of a pregame prayer in the visitors locker room. And Kyle Shanahan was frantically changing his opening plays.

Just minutes earlier, Shanahan had been on the field to watch Brock Purdy warm up and, well, there hadn’t been much to see. The rookie had attempted a couple of wobbly passes ahead of his first NFL road start. But he’d quickly shut it down — the pain from a broken rib on his left side was too intense.

The 49ers offensive coaches were watching. The Seattle Seahawks coaches were eyeballing him, too.

“Brock goes to throw a ball and it’s, ‘Oh, s—!’” Shanahan recalled recently. “And then we go into the locker room where we have 15 minutes. I start looking at my openers. And no one’s around, and I start changing the plays. Because I realize that Brock’s not going to be able to do it.”

49ers sign kicker to practice squad

“In 2022, Wright appeared in two games with the Chiefs and four games with the Steelers and went 15 of 18 on field goal attempts and made each of his 15 extra points. Wright signed with the Carolina Panthers on August 8, 2023, and was later released by the team on August 26.”