Peyton Manning singles out 49ers WR for dropped TD

Brandon Aiyuk missed all of the San Francisco 49ers training camp while seeking a new contract, and Peyton Manning thinks the lack of practice time was a factor in Monday night’s game.

Aiyuk caught two passes for 28 yards in his team’s 32-19 win over the New York Jets. He had a spectacular chance at a touchdown grab just before halftime, but he dove and could not haul in a well-thrown ball from Brock Purdy.

During the “ManningCast,” Peyton and Eli Manning noted how Aiyuk might have been rusty after missing so much offseason time. Peyton emphatically stated that the dropped touchdown illustrated the importance of training camp.

“Get signed, get in training camp. There’s a reason for training camp — you need it. You need the reps,” an agitated Peyton said. “Get those contracts done earlier so you can get in training camp and you don’t drop balls on opening night.”

Peyton then said receivers who hold out are “catching balls at a high school field from some quarterback that’s 45 years old, my age” rather than their own quarterback.

“Get signed, get in camp and you don’t drop the ball,” Manning said.