This week’s reacts survey wonders which 49ers player will have the most touchdowns in 2025. Is George Kittle too obvious of a leader?
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The San Francisco 49ers will begin reporting for training camp, starting with the rookies. The memes, inside jokes, and all things that come with fans preparing for football season are on their way.
We’re officially back to having things to talk about. The 49ers’ offense has been a topic of discussion. Not because of contract drama (well, until recently), but what can Brock Purdy do with another year under his belt with his receivers? Deebo Samuel is off to the Washington Commanders. Ricky Pearsall will be getting his second season, and (hopefully) his first full one. George Kittle remains George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey seems to be in great shape after last year.
And that’s not all the weapons for Brock Purdy, there’s Jauan Jennings, provided he sticks around, and Brandon Aiyuk, also hoping he can see the field after recovering from injury.
It brings up a good question: Now that Purdy has his weapons back, who do you see leading this group in receiving touchdowns for 2025? Note, I haven’t even gone through his entire complement of weapons. There’s also Brandon Aiyuk, and then there’s Jauan Jennings. Here’s a breakdown of how each could fit.
Brandon Aiyuk
2024 Touchdowns: 0
2024 Receptions: 25
2024 Yards Receiving: 374
If Brandon Aiyuk does miss time to start the season (with reports saying it could be as soon as Week 5), the accolade of the most receiving touchdowns for the year will mean either he is worth all that money or something has gone horribly, horribly wrong with the 49ers.
Any stretch of time into the season gives his colleagues a head start in catching touchdowns. Once he hits the field, it’s a game of catch-up. Should he surpass his teammates and get the most in 2025, that could put an end to the “is he worth that cash” question being asked everywhere.
Of course, the above scenario assumes everyone else plays through the season healthy. And if you’ve watched the NFL for any number of years, you know that rarely happens. If Aiyuk manages to get the most catches, it could also be because the then-touchdown leader got hit with the injury bug. That alone would still say something as Aiyuk stepped up in whatever void remains, but it’s something to consider. Or there’s no one else to throw to. If Aiyuk were to be in this and then go down along with the rest of the receivers, there’s one more person to save the season:
George Kittle
2024 Touchdowns: 8
2024 Receptions: 78
2024 Yards Receiving: 1106
It was George Kittle who once set the record for yards receiving by a tight end in a single season. A record set by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce an hour or so earlier that day. It was also a record broken with Nick Mullens at quarterback and most of the 49ers on the injured list in a nightmare of a 2018 season. Players like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were in college and had not yet had their futures intertwined with the 49ers
Kittle also had the most receiving touchdowns in 2024 with eight. Again, this happened when there was no Brandon Aiyuk for a stretch, but there was Deebo Samuel. What does this mean? If Kittle is breaking records or leading the receivers in touchdowns, something might not be right.
Kittle is a phenomenal blocker. If he’s not blocking, he’s in the pass game getting that YAC. It’s a double-edged sword as Kittle’s skills involve both pancaking opponents and steamrolling would-be tacklers. Should Kittle get the most receiving touchdowns, Brock Purdy would have demonstrated Kittle’s blocking isn’t as much of a necessity, which would be a credit to Purdy. That said, if Kittle is catching the most touchdowns, this might also be a result of many other weapons simply not being available.
Jauan Jennings:
2024 Touchdowns: 6
2024 Receptions: 77
2024 Yards Receiving: 975
The 2025 sacrifice for the 49ers’ offseason drama came late, but that is where we are with Jennings’ trade or pay demands. He has every right to ask for the latter. While he is known as “Third and Jauan”, Jennings stepped up in a season when Christian McCaffrey and Aiyuk were both unavailable, showing he was more than just a chain mover on crucial downs. And yes, “if” the 49ers won the Super Bowl, Jennings could have been the MVP of that game.
Some might say how a Jennings-less team could impact Brock Purdy. Of course, last year Jennings wasn’t even in that conversation of “what’s left for Brock Purdy” after all the injuries. But after his superb 2024, he’s now one of those good pieces that make Purdy look like Purdy.
Jennings could take the most receiving touchdowns, especially if he decides to play out his contract without an extension. Don’t say contract years don’t mean anything—you know when there’s a contract year, the chances of a player balling out are higher than them not making an impact at all. Barring injury, that could happen to Jennings.
It’s also been proven that missing training camp sets you back a few weeks when the regular season starts. He could still sign the contract after sitting out training camp for a period. The longer he (and the 49ers) wait, the worse it could be. If you need proof, look to Aiyuk’s Week 1 performance against the New York Jets in 2024 and subsequent ho-hum play until he got injured in Week 7.
This can go either way, but Jennings has shown he can put Purdy on his back, and now that Purdy has more options on the field again, things should open up for Jennings to have a shot at the receiving touchdowns.
Ricky Pearsall:
2024 Touchdowns: 3
2024 Receptions: 31
2024 Yards Receiving: 400
Pearsall is the wild card in all of this. What we saw in 2024 was a limited sample size due to his gunshot wound right before the start of Week 1. Once he got on the field, Pearsall made a name for himself and an argument for a promising career in the NFL rather than a pick that “needs work.”
Pearsall may be a person to root for, given the bad luck he had for his first season. Unlike many other players in this position, he didn’t just show flashes of how good he could be; he made the most of his opportunity, despite his limited season.
Christian McCaffrey:
2024 Touchdowns: 0
2024 Receptions: 15
2024 Yards Receiving: 146
Like Aiyuk, McCaffrey wasn’t around for much of the 2024 season due to issues with his Achilles tendonitis lingering from training camp into the season. It wasn’t like this in 2023; McCaffrey shared the top spot for receiving touchdowns with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel at seven. If you’re curious, Kittle had six that year.
2025 should be a different beast. There hasn’t been a peep about any issues yet, but the McCaffrey rumor mill and speculation didn’t happen until early August last year when he was ruled out of the preseason, so there’s still time. When he’s on the field, the entire landscape changes for the 49ers in both options for play design and reliability when he has the rock.
Who do you think can get the most receiving touchdowns in 2025?