Sports Al Dente

Denver, known for its focus on quarterbacks, has seen many signal-callers struggle to step out from the shadows of Pro Football Hall of Famers John Elway and Peyton Manning.

Since Elway’s retirement as a two-time champion in 1999, the Broncos have cycled through 10 quarterbacks over 12 seasons. They didn’t return to the Super Bowl until Elway moved to the front office and brought Manning to Denver for the latter part of his distinguished career.

Like Elway, Manning retired as a champion, leaving the game a month after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season.

When rookie Bo Nix takes his first snap at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday, he will become the 14th different starting quarterback for the Broncos since Manning last played.

This long list of quarterbacks includes running back Phillip Lindsay, who started a game in the Wildcat formation when all four of Denver’s quarterbacks were unavailable due to violating NFL pandemic protocols in 2020.

It also includes nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, whose exit after two disappointing seasons left the Broncos with a record $85 million in dead cap charges through 2025 and responsible for almost all of his $39 million salary with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, except for $1.21 million.

Only two of these quarterbacks—Trevor Siemian (13-11) and Brett Rypien (2-1)—had winning records, and the group had a 52-79 record in total following four seasons where Manning went 50-15, including playoffs.

Wilson ended his time in Denver as a backup to Jarrett Stidham and was traded in the offseason when the Broncos brought in Zach Wilson and drafted Nix with the 12th pick in the NFL draft.

The former quarterbacks both showed support for Nix but had very different reactions to him getting the starting role.

“I’m excited to see what he can do, and I think he’s ready for it,” said Zach Wilson.

“Obviously, I was very disappointed,” said Stidham, who has also been a backup to Tom Brady, Derek Carr, and Russell Wilson. “I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that, and it just didn’t work out for me.”

Right now, Stidham is at the end of the long list of quarterbacks who haven’t managed to keep their starting position in Denver, which has been stuck in an eight-year playoff drought.

Last month, the franchise’s two legendary quarterbacks took part in the pro-am at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club and both praised Nix, suggesting that the quarterback, who started an NCAA-record 61 games, might finally be the one to lead the Broncos back to the playoffs.

“You knew his experience, his maturity would be an advantage for him and he’s picked up the system quickly, you can tell,” Manning said.

“Bo’s tremendously talented,” said Elway. “He’s played a lot of college football. So, he’s ahead of the curve when it comes to that.

And I think Sean Payton will be great for him. The offensive system that they’re going to run, they’ll be able to protect him, they’re pretty good on the offensive line, they’ll be able to run.”

Elway, the first overall draft pick in 1983, went 1 for 8 with four sacks and an interception before being benched in his pro debut against Pittsburgh. Manning, the first overall pick in 1999, set an NFL rookie record with 28 interceptions a quarter-century ago.

They know Nix will face some challenges, but they believe both he and the Broncos will grow from these experiences in the end.

“I know what it’s like to start as a rookie in your first NFL game, but he’ll be ready and I’ll be rooting for him,” Manning said, adding, “I’m a fan of playing right away. Getting that experience will only help him improve.”

“Bo’s a mature guy, so it will be interesting to see them working together,” Elway said. “I think Sean knows how to develop quarterbacks and will keep him in good situations, not putting too much pressure on him and helping him get better each week.”

Nix led the Broncos on six scoring drives in seven preseason possessions, but now he faces the real challenge with opponents trying to disrupt him.

“Bo’s going to experience that,” Elway said. “The jump from preseason to regular season is significant. I’m sure he’ll manage it well. He’ll have his ups and downs as a young player, which I experienced plenty of. But he has all the talent and mental strength to succeed.”

When Spencer Anderson was an underclassman at Maryland, one of his coaches talked to him about how injuries were starting to affect the offensive line.

The conversation ended with a request that sounded more like a demand: How would Anderson feel about switching from tackle to center for the team’s benefit?

Anderson’s response was probably more honest than he intended at the time. “I was like, ‘But I’m a tackle,’” Anderson said. Emphasis on “was.”

Anderson played as a center for a while before the Terrapins moved him to guard in his senior year of 2022. To his surprise, he found working in tight spaces a bit more enjoyable. No fast edge rushers to worry about—just another big guy across from him to battle.

“It’s less space inside, everything happens faster,” Anderson said.

The Pittsburgh Steelers noticed enough to draft Anderson in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, and he has spent the past 16 months playing in various positions.

This journey will lead Anderson to his first NFL start at left guard, replacing the injured Isaac Seumalo when the Steelers open the season at Atlanta on Sunday.

It’s a significant achievement for a player who understood early on that he needed to set aside his ego.

“Obviously I’m going to capitalize on every opportunity that I’m given,” Anderson said. “Just being ready, light on my feet and ready to work.”

Players drafted with the 251st pick, like Anderson, don’t have many options. The Steelers have moved him around both sides of the line during practice and preseason games, including some snaps at tackle, where Pittsburgh is theoretically strong with Dan Moore Jr., 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones (drafted 237 spots ahead of Anderson), and 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu, who has been held back by a knee injury.

The exact makeup of the offensive line for the game against the Falcons is still uncertain. Jones is listed as the right tackle and Moore as the left tackle on the depth chart, but Jones might switch to the right side if Fautanu is healthy enough to play.

Meanwhile, Anderson seems set to play next to rookie center Zach Frazier, as the offense adjusts to various changes.

Anderson aims to be a steady influence in the short term and also has a sense of humor. He made people laugh in the preseason opener against Houston when he was pushed before the snap, resulting in an offside penalty.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound player backpedaled and then fell to the ground, briefly getting up before dramatically collapsing again, much like a soccer player taking a dive.

“I was going backward. I was like, ‘Might as well don’t fall at this point,’” Anderson said with a smile. “So it was just kind of instinctual.”

There were no awards for his performance, just a minor reprimand from assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams, who told Anderson, “I understand this, but don’t do that again.”

Anderson hasn’t repeated the stunt. He understands the fine line between success and failure in the NFL. This is why, despite initially seeing himself as only a tackle—usually the most high-profile and highest-paid position along the line—he spent the offseason studying film of different positions.

“Being able to flip sides is something that I take seriously,” he said. “And something that I guess is specialization (in its own right).”

Coach Mike Tomlin has noticed this versatility. It’s one reason Anderson made the 53-man roster. Tomlin trusts Anderson as he takes on a significant role for the Steelers, who revamped their quarterback room after another early playoff exit and brought in Russell Wilson from Denver to lead an offense that has been a weak spot in recent years.

When asked about Anderson’s improvement since joining the team, Tomlin compared him to Kelvin Beachum, who started his NFL career with the Steelers as a seventh-round pick in 2012 and later became a starter with Jacksonville, the New York Jets, and Arizona.

Green Bay’s Christian Watson has shown that he can be one of the NFL’s top deep threats when his hamstrings are healthy.

The problem has been his inconsistent availability. Watson has missed 11 games due to hamstring issues in his first two seasons. “In my mind, if I’m able to be out there, I’m going to find a way to make plays,” Watson said.

After completing training camp without injury, Watson is hopeful that he now understands how to manage his hamstring problems better as the Packers get ready for their season opener on Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“This is how it’s supposed to be,” Watson said. “It’s supposed to be 100%. I want to play 100% of the games. I want to play 100% of the practices. I’m right where I want to be.”

This is a change from last year when a hamstring injury kept him out of the Packers’ first three games. His hamstring issues returned, causing him to miss the last five regular-season games, though he did come back for the playoffs.

Watson, 25, knew he needed to address the issue. He and Packers cornerback Eric Stokes visited the University of Wisconsin’s Badger Athletic Performance Center, which received a four-year, $4 million grant from the NFL’s scientific advisory board in 2021 to study the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries.

That visit helped Watson realize that a lack of symmetry between his legs was making him more prone to these injuries.

Without specifically mentioning Watson’s case, Badger Athletic Performance Director Bryan Heiderscheit talked about how asymmetry could affect injury risk.

“Even without any sort of history of injury, you still probably have a little bit of asymmetry based on what you do in your daily life, the demands of your sport or what your position may be,” Heiderscheit said.

“It’s when those asymmetries get beyond what we would expect as normal or typical, or at a point where one side is so different from the other that it puts too much strain on other tissues.

In other words, if one side is much weaker than the other, it forces other tissues to do more work, leading to a cycle of chronic injury.”

Watson mentioned earlier this year that he found his left leg was about 20% stronger than his right, which caused extra stress on his left side and eventually led to fatigue.

He has since fixed that imbalance. “I got it down to pretty much perfectly symmetrical right before camp started,” Watson said.

Watson knows he will need to keep an eye on this issue throughout the season, but he’s hopeful he can play the whole season without any interruptions.

That would give the 2022 second-round pick from North Dakota State a chance to show the talent he displayed at the end of his rookie season, when he scored eight touchdowns (seven receiving, one rushing) in a four-game stretch.

The only other rookie to achieve that many touchdowns in a four-game period was Randy Moss in 1998.

He ended that rookie season with 41 catches for 611 yards and nine total touchdowns (seven receiving, two rushing). Watson couldn’t match that performance last season, with 28 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns in just nine games.

If Watson can remain healthy, he could play a key role in a strong receiving group that also includes Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks, among others.

“He is an important part of what we do,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s a big, physical, fast guy, and not many of those guys exist. So we certainly are a better offense when he’s at full strength.”

Watson feels more positive about his chances of staying in top form, and this has boosted his confidence.

“When you’re able to play a lot more free, you just have a lot more confidence, and I think that’s where I’m at,” Watson said. “I’ve played a lot of games, in my eyes, in the league. Enough to where I know what I’m capable of.”

Travis Kelce spent the offseason traveling around the globe, following his girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, to various locations on her Eras Tour. He appeared on TV, attended major sporting events, and continued hosting his popular podcast with his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce.

The Chiefs tight end is busier than ever and has more to manage, with increased attention on everything he does.

This makes the Chiefs’ practice facility and Arrowhead Stadium, just up the hill and across the parking lots, a special place where Kelce can relax with close friends.

“I just love football, and how it takes me away from life,” Kelce said Tuesday, two days before the Kansas City Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of their AFC championship game and officially start the NFL’s regular season.

“It gives me something I can feel genuinely happy about,” Kelce added. “I enjoy coming into the building, working on my craft, getting to understand a new game plan, and perfecting that for the people around me.

It gives me a purpose to kind of go about my day and live my life. And I just have so much excitement in what I’m doing.”

Kelce had a noticeable bounce in his step after Tuesday’s practice, not just because he made it through without injury; he had hyperextended his knee during the same practice last year, which caused him to miss Week 1 against Detroit.

Kelce, who will turn 35 next month, is close to breaking some records. He needs three more touchdown catches to pass Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record. He needs 10 more receptions to surpass Gonzalez for the career mark.

Seven more touchdowns would move Kelce ahead of Priest Holmes for the most total career touchdowns in Kansas City. He already holds the franchise record with 11,328 receiving yards.

There is also the most significant piece of history for Kelce: The Chiefs are trying for a record third straight Super Bowl win, which would give him a fourth championship ring in six years.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play as many games as I played,” he said. “That’s why I really enjoy going out there every single day, even if it’s just a practice to work on my craft. Because not everybody gets that same fortune in their career.”

Kelce doesn’t know when he will retire. He says he’s having too much fun to think about it right now. But the past few weeks show just how diverse his interests have become off the field.

While getting ready for Week 1 against Baltimore, Kelce’s team — along with his brother’s team — was finalizing a three-year contract with Amazon’s Wondery, reportedly worth nine figures, for the exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights to their “New Heights” podcast.

The deal includes the existing podcast content and the exclusive rights to monetize and distribute new audio and video episodes starting this season.

On the same day that news came out, Barry Irwin, founder and CEO of Team Valor International, announced that Kelce recently bought a significant share in a 3-year-old gelding named — either by chance or design — Swift Delivery.

“It’s very exciting,” Irwin told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I met him at the Kentucky Derby and got to spend some time with him and stuff, and we talked about horses and everything.

When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer.”

Kelce’s coaches and teammates, especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is one of his best friends, are impressed by his ability to handle everything in his life and still perform well on the field.

Even though there were moments last season when it seemed like Kelce might be slowing down, he still managed to catch 93 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. In the playoffs, he excelled even more, with 32 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns in just four games.

It’s hard to think about retiring when the Chiefs continue to be the top team in the NFL.

“You have days off where maybe it’s a little bit tougher,” Kelce said, “but who doesn’t, man? Everybody has those days. But what you got to understand is that, you know, the goal in mind of the team is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best.

And my college coach, Butch Jones, always told me, ‘You’re a fountain or a drain.’ You don’t want to be draining anybody.”

The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle signed a new three-year contract on Tuesday, which will keep him with the team through the 2026 season. The financial details of the contract were not shared.

The 35-year-old Heyward, who was a first-round draft pick by the Steelers in 2011, was about to start the last season of his current deal.

During the offseason and training camp, he had made it clear that he wanted to continue playing beyond 2024 and stay with the Steelers. However, he also said he might consider other teams if an agreement with the Steelers could not be reached.

It turns out, he will stay with the Steelers after all.

“How unlikely! Yet here we are,” Heyward posted on X, along with a photo of himself and Steelers general manager Omar Khan.

Heyward was named a defensive captain for the 10th time in his 14-year career on Monday, making him only the third player in the team’s history to achieve this.

The six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner had a tough season last year with injuries, managing only two sacks in 11 games.

On Monday, he spoke about his desire to return to the high level of performance he had earlier in the decade when he was one of the top pass-rushing interior linemen in the league.

“I’ve had to eat (criticism) and absorb it,” Heyward said. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, but I want to make their opinion wrong, and I think I just look forward to playing good football.”

Heyward starts 2024 with 80 1/2 sacks, the highest number ever by a Steelers defensive tackle and the ninth highest in NFL history by an interior defensive lineman.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch believes rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall will fully recover after being shot last weekend during a robbery attempt.

Pearsall was shot in the chest and spent the night in the hospital after the incident in central San Francisco on Saturday. He was released from the hospital on Sunday and was back at the team facility by Monday.

The 49ers put Pearsall on the non-football injury list, which will keep him out for at least four weeks. This will allow him to recover from the shooting and a shoulder injury that had bothered him throughout the summer.

“We decided that Ricky needs some time to heal both physically and emotionally,” Lynch said on Tuesday. “When we drafted Ricky, we were thinking long-term.

We believe he will be a great player here. He was disappointed but understands the decision to put him on that list.”

Lynch mentioned that Pearsall was lucky not to have suffered more severe injuries. Pearsall was walking alone with shopping bags to his car around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday when a juvenile tried to rob him at gunpoint in the Union Square area.

Police responded quickly, provided first aid, and arrested the suspect. A witness video showed Pearsall with a large chest wound as he was taken into an ambulance.

Lynch expressed gratitude to the San Francisco police, especially Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who provided immediate help, also thanked the doctors at San Francisco General Hospital, team doctors, trainers, and support staff for their efforts to assist Pearsall during this critical time.

Lynch mentioned that there was no harm to Pearsall’s organs, nerves, or ribs, describing the injury as a “through and through.”

“Several people down there said this is about as good an outcome as you could hope for in this situation,” he said.

This positive news was far from guaranteed when Lynch first heard that Pearsall had been shot on Saturday while shopping for luggage after an autograph signing.

“The first calls I received were very alarming: ‘We believe Ricky’s been shot in the chest,’” Lynch said. “That kind of outcome is usually not favorable. It was a tough Saturday, and the trip to San Francisco General was hard. I’m just so thankful that things turned out the way they did.”

The news was shocking for his teammates, who found it upsetting not knowing immediately what had happened to Pearsall.

“It was really tough,” receiver Jauan Jennings said. “I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I was just hoping Rick was okay. Hearing the good news made my day better and made me happy knowing he’s alright and with us.”

Pearsall managed to FaceTime his teammates during a team party on Saturday night and then saw them in person when he returned to the facility on Monday.

“He’s in good spirits,” offensive lineman Aaron Banks said. “You could tell something like this would be upsetting, and he’s still working through it. But it was great to see him and have him around.”

Pearsall was picked in the first round in April by the 49ers with the 31st pick but has been dealing with injuries since joining the team.

He missed part of training camp due to hamstring and shoulder problems before coming back to practice last week while wearing a non-contact blue jersey to protect his shoulder as it heals.

Pearsall started his college career at Arizona State and then moved to Florida for his last two seasons. Last season with the Gators, he had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns. In total, he ended his college career with 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Brian Daboll has officially confirmed that he will be calling the offensive plays for the New York Giants this season.

On Tuesday, Daboll announced that he will take over the role from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who previously managed the play-calling duties. Daboll had already been calling plays during the preseason and minicamps.

This isn’t new for Daboll, as he handled play-calling in Buffalo when he was the offensive coordinator there before becoming the Giants’ head coach in 2022. In his first year with the Giants, he entrusted Kafka, who had experience with Andy Reid in Kansas City, with the offensive responsibilities.

Despite leading the Giants to the playoffs in his first season with a 9-7-1 record, the offense struggled last year, and the team dropped to a 6-11 record. Daniel Jones was also hindered by neck and knee injuries, missing six games.

With increased pressure in his third season, Daboll chose to take over play-calling duties. Kafka and the offensive coaches will still be involved in creating the game plan.

Daboll didn’t go into detail about why he made this change but mentioned he is focused on preparing for the opening game against the Minnesota Vikings, who had a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs last season.

Daboll pointed out that many offensive head coaches handle play-calling duties themselves.

From what was seen in the preseason, the Giants (6-11) are expected to try more deep passes, especially with the addition of first-round draft pick Malik Nabers to a fast receiving group that includes Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson.

Jones, who recovered quickly from an ACL injury, noted that he and Daboll have had many discussions over the past two years.

He mentioned that while every play-caller has a unique style, Daboll and Kafka have many similarities. He also highlighted that Daboll is skilled at adjusting to the team’s strengths and the defense’s strategy.

Breece Hall is already seen as one of the top running backs in the NFL. His ability to both run and catch has made him a favorite pick in fantasy football drafts.

This is impressive considering he has only played 24 professional games and missed the latter part of his rookie season with the New York Jets in 2022 due to a torn knee ligament.

“The hype and all that stuff’s there, but for me it’s just having the standard for myself to, you know, every time I step out on the field, I want to be the best player out there,” Hall said Tuesday. “I want every team to know who No. 20 is.”

Hall likely doesn’t need to worry too much about being recognized at this point. While Aaron Rodgers runs the Jets’ offense, Hall is a key player who drives it forward.

At 23 years old, Hall recovered from a torn ACL in Week 7 of his rookie season to lead NFL running backs with 76 catches last season.

That’s nine more than Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, whom Hall will face on Monday night when New York begins its season against the 49ers.

Hall was just 12 catches short of Richie Anderson’s franchise record for running backs and fell 6 yards short of 1,000 rushing yards last season. He has promised to achieve that milestone this year.

This comeback is impressive for a running back who faced many doubts after his injury.

“Yeah, I look back at it now and just feel like there’s nothing I can’t do,” said Hall, who is now fully healthy. “I had a lot of long days, a lot of long nights. A lot of wondering if I was going to be the same again. And so it’s little stuff like that and, God-willing, I was able to work hard enough and it just took some time.

“I feel like I’m better than ever right now. And really, to me, I haven’t really done anything in this league yet.”

Anyone who watches him play—whether a teammate or an opponent—would disagree.

“For me,” Hall said, “like every week I’ve got to go out there with something to prove with a chip on my shoulder.”

Pedro Canuto puts on his pads and practices passing the football just a few hundred yards from where boats carrying tourists cruise the Amazon River into the rainforest.

As a quarterback for Manaus FA, which is considered the top American football team in the area, the 20-year-old could be playing soccer, which Brazil is famous for. But he chooses to play a sport that most people in his country know little about.

Around 200 people, including many enthusiastic fans, are waiting in the stands of Ismael Benigno Stadium for Canuto and his team to take the field. Among the crowd are members of Canuto’s Baré Indigenous family.

His mother, who sometimes walks for days into the Amazon rainforest to teach in remote villages, still attends most home games to support her son.

“If she is brave enough to do all that, how could I not do what I desire and give 100% to the sport and the city I love?” Canuto told The Associated Press at the team’s headquarters the day before their home game against Galo FA, the defending champions.

“My dream is for Manaus to one day retire my No. 1 shirt. Several teams tried to sign me after the latest season, but I don’t see myself playing anywhere else in Brazil. I want to make it here.”

Canuto and Manaus FA’s commitment to football show how much the sport has grown in Brazil over the last 20 years.

While it’s not enough to fill the 10,000-seat stadium in the Amazon, interest in the game has grown so much that the NFL will play its first-ever game in South America when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers on Friday night at the NeoQuimica Arena in São Paulo—6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) away.

According to local research group Ibope Repucom, Brazil had about 38 million American football fans in 2022, making it the second-largest international community for the sport after Mexico.

Marketing analysts say the number of American football fans in Brazil has increased by at least 10% since then. NFL games are shown on ESPN Brasil, which has been broadcasting them since 1992, and on open channel RedeTV.

The Brazilian football league that Canuto plays in is mostly featured on social media channels.

The main league in Brazil is the BFA, which includes 72 teams from the Amazon region to the south of the country, near Uruguay. This league is now in its sixth season, which will involve over 200 games across 20 states from June to December.

Teams can sign up to three players from North America, Europe, and Japan and use two of them in games.

About ten years ago, Brazilian teams rarely played in full pads, and many focused on flag football. Teams like Manaus used to have players who wore motorcycle helmets with makeshift refrigerator coils as head protection.

Players didn’t follow strict diets or concussion protocols, and getting paid to play was almost a dream. But things are slowly improving.

Accountant Renner Silva has taken on many roles at Manaus FA over the years: player, coach, director, fan, and coordinator.

“We need more gear, a proper place to train, and more support for traveling nationwide during the regular season. But one of our biggest challenges in attracting more players and fans is the heat,” Silva said while players practiced at Manaus’ Olympic sports facilities — the temperature was around 31 degrees Celsius (nearly 88 Fahrenheit).

“The stadium where we play has no cover, and the match starts at 3 p.m. People start arriving at 4 p.m. to watch. By the second half, when it gets a bit cooler, players are already exhausted.”

Manaus FA shares its public training grounds with joggers and track and field athletes. The kickers have to be creative since there are no goal posts because javelin and discus throwers also use the space.

The field is only 80 yards long, the same length used in the Brazilian league, but it lacks the 10 yards for each end zone. Silva mentioned that there are other fields in the city where the team could practice better, but local officials don’t yet see the sport’s potential.

Despite this, the team attracted American quarterback and linebacker Malik Brown, who had never been to South America until a few months ago and now believes Brazilian football can grow after the NFL game.

Brown, who is from Chicago, had a semi-pro career in the U.S. for two seasons and was about to join the CFL. However, the pandemic disrupted his plans, and the team he was going to join never reached out to him again.

He continued his career in Germany while also working on a family business back home. Then, he received what he calls “a call from God” to come to Brazil.

“I went through a lot of hard times with coaches, the transfer portal, and that whole thing with America. It was kind of messed up. This is where I needed to be,” Brown said. “I don’t need to always be the face.

Sometimes it is about lifting others up, raising their potential. My special ability is being able to fit in anywhere—offense, defense, special teams, coaching room, or locker room. I’m going to step up and give everything I have.”

He plays two roles on the Manaus team: alternating at quarterback with Canuto and also playing linebacker. “I want to help Pedro develop and make this team something we can all be proud of,” Brown said.

Brown and Canuto took turns leading Manaus’ offense during their recent game against Galo FA, following a strategy set by Mexican coach Rodrigo Ríos. Neither managed to score, and the visitors won 23-0.

Canuto left the field feeling disappointed, even with the support from fans. He believes the NFL game in São Paulo will be a turning point for the sport in Brazil and that one day he will have even more supporters.

He hopes to play for another two decades, possibly spending time in Germany or Mexico before starting a quarterback academy in the Amazon. He is studying physical education at a local university to help with his future goals.

Despite the modest future he envisions, his passion for football remains strong.

“I have deeply implanted in my mind that I am carrying the weight of football in the Amazon, I am from here. That has only motivated me to play more, to dedicate myself,” he said. “We’ve only just begun.”

During his long contract dispute with the 49ers, which included social media outbursts, a trade request, and an unusual “hold in,” Brandon Aiyuk’s first choice was always to stay in San Francisco.

The 49ers also wanted to keep their star receiver, so why did it take so long for Aiyuk to sign a new deal last Thursday?

“I’m not going to lie, I made it a little bit more difficult than I needed to at the end,” Aiyuk said Tuesday after his first practice with the Niners since the Super Bowl.

This fact is clear, but it’s not important now since the sides have agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract extension with $76 million guaranteed.

Aiyuk wasn’t sure if this would be the final result. There were trade offers from Cleveland and New England that fell through because he wouldn’t agree to an extension with those teams. Discussions with Pittsburgh also ended when the Steelers wouldn’t offer enough to convince the Niners to trade Aiyuk.

The dispute ended with the most reasonable outcome: Aiyuk staying in San Francisco, where he could play with quarterback Brock Purdy in an offense led by coach Kyle Shanahan and receive the lucrative contract he wanted.

“I just had a feel for what I wanted, not just in terms of money, but in all those things,” Aiyuk said. “I wanted to be here, and I ended up being here. So I’m happy and ready to go.”

Eleven receivers before Aiyuk had already signed contracts worth at least $70 million this offseason, with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension with Minnesota being the highest. Aiyuk is now the sixth receiver with an average annual contract of at least $30 million.

Aiyuk had the option to play this season on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million and then move to free agency next offseason. However, he wanted to speed up the process and finalize the deal now, even if it meant being a “squeaky wheel.”

“A squeaky wheel has to be silent sometimes but know when to squeak,” he said. “Just that balance.”

Aiyuk admitted the process was challenging, especially since he did a “hold-in” throughout training camp. He showed up to the team on time in late July to avoid fines and participated in meetings, but did not practice.

He was seen on the practice field as an observer, occasionally greeting and hugging coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. But he wasn’t fully involved with the team.

“It was tough,” he said. “That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing, just because, at that point, you’ve got the rest of the team involved. I’m here every single day. They’re suiting up, getting ready to go out to practice, and I’m not.

So that was the hard part. But on that same tone, I was able to be in meetings, and be able to go through all the stuff that they got to go through, and kind of still be involved. … So it was a little awkward, but I think it worked out how it needed to.”

Aiyuk was a key player for San Francisco’s offense last season, forming a strong connection with Purdy. He had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards, along with seven touchdowns, and received second-team All-Pro honors.

Purdy’s 120.5 passer rating when targeting Aiyuk is the highest for any QB-receiver pair with at least 125 attempts over the past two seasons.