Much to the chagrin of a very loud contingent of San Francisco 49ers fan on social media, recent rumors suggest the team is considering a contract extension for center Jake Brendel. He is the Niners offensive lineman many fans love to hate, but it’s always been clear those within the organization view him much more favorably.
Brendel has been with San Francisco since 2021. He’s started almost every game for the Niners since then, but his play has often come under fire in recent years. San Francisco’s O-line always takes a lot of heat from fans, some of it deserved and some of it not. Back in 2024, there were clips on social media that circulated showing Brendel looking incompetent, which gained a lot of steam.
Yet, 49ers coaches have always had his back. Head coach Kyle Shanahan once said, "I think Jake does protection as good as anyone in this league. I think he’s always been a pretty good run player for us."
Offensive line coach Chris Foerster said the following when asked about Brendel’s 2024 season, "Fewest amount of missed assignments. His pass protection was the highest grade, his run blocking grade, pass blocking grade, and his mental errors were the best they’ve been since he’s been here. They’ve been better than any center that we’ve had playing here up to this point."
Much like the assessment of the NFL Draft, the 49ers unsurprisingly assess their players much differently than the general public does.
Maybe they are right. Perhaps Brendel is a fine center, and there isn’t much room for an upgrade. That’s possible, but it doesn't change the fact many fans view him as the weak link on an O-line that many already view as substandard outside of Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams.
When the Niners signed Brett Toth this offseason, there was hope that Brendel might have some competition. General manager John Lynch seemed to say as much when he said he saw Toth fitting in at center as well as left guard. We will just have to see how that plays out, but if the Niners do extend Brendel, that suggests they are committing to him as their guy at center.
At this point, 49ers fans may just have to resign themselves to the fact that Brendel is going to be out there. Clearly, the 49ers like him and think he’s doing a good job, which is all that matters at the end of the day, and something tells me the Niners aren’t going to be swayed by social media noise.
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