As former San Francisco 49ers great John Taylor became a member of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on May 6 and expressed his opinions on Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk.
Taylor, who played wide receiver for the 49ers from 1987 to 1995 and contributed to the team winning three Super Bowls during that time, discussed his belief in Purdy's abilities and his advice to Aiyuk during a conversation with The Mercury News’ Cam Inman.
“Many people hesitated to acknowledge Brock Purdy's talent. ‘Oh, he's only successful because of his team. Without them, he wouldn't be a good quarterback.’ Hold on,” Taylor told Inman.
“If Joe didn’t have the group that he had, Joe [Montana] wouldn’t have been Joe. If Steve [Young] didn’t have the group that he had, Steve wouldn’t have been Steve,” Taylor added. “I’ve never seen one of those two quarterbacks block for himself, hike the ball to himself, throw the ball to himself and go catch it.”
“But they always say, ‘Oh, if he didn’t have the surrounding party.’ Well, that’s how teams win. That’s how championships are made – of all different parts, not just one person,” Taylor concluded.
Purdy, who was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 draft, rose to prominence that year following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. After leading the team to the NFC Championship Game that season, Purdy became both an MVP candidate and the quarterback for the Super Bowl in 2023.
John Taylor to Brandon Aiyuk: ‘Just Go Play’
Aiyuk has been one of Purdy’s main targets throughout his journey. The fifth-year receiver has achieved two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in the past two years and scored 15 touchdowns during that period.
“I remember being at training camp and [general manager] John Lynch asked me, what did I think of Brandon Aiyuk. I said, ‘You want my honest opinion?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘He’s a [expletive] of a receiver. He’s just thinking too much. He just has to go play, let his ability take over.’ I said I know that feeling. In his mind, he’s wondering, and he has to stop wondering,” Taylor said.
“We were on the way to practice for the NFC Championship Game with the [Los Angeles] Rams down at SoFi [after the 2021 season], and I was on the bus with him. I introduced myself to him and told him, ‘Brandon, listen, I watched your whole career at ASU. You were a [expletive] of a receiver. This is just my advice to you, and you can take it or leave it: Stop overthinking. Just go play. Let your ability take over.’ ”
49ers Sought a First-Round Pick for Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk’s talents earned him a fifth-year extension with the 49ers, but he has been pushing for a larger contract throughout the offseason. He has been the subject of trade rumors, but the 49ers were looking for a first-round draft pick for Aiyuk according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Lynch previously expressed the organization’s desire to retain Aiyuk and not trade him. While Aiyuk has yet to receive a new contract, the 49ers notably did not secure a new deal for fellow standout receiver Deebo Samuel until the summer of 2022.
