As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their season opener against the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football,” the team returned to the SAP Performance Facility Tuesday morning for its first practice of the week, just six days before the highly anticipated prime-time game.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams, who is still finalizing contract details, were all present at the team’s practice.

Aiyuk practiced with the team for the first time since the 2023 season after going through contract negotiations during the offseason that culminated in a four-year deal finalized last week.

“I feel light, I feel ready,” Aiyuk said. “I’m super excited. I feel fresh, reborn, I come with new energy. I’m just excited to get back to playing football… Ultimately, this is where I wanted to be and I’m finally here. So I’m happy, I’m fine and I’m ready to go.”

Looking ahead to the season-opening game at Levi’s® Stadium, the wideout was aware of the tough opposition the Jets defense would face on Monday night.

“They have some good DBs. They also have a lot of guys we know, (Jets head coach Robert) Saleh, we know (defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw) JK over there, we’re familiar with their scheme, so it’s going to be a good matchup.”

The First Team All-Pro left tackle returned to the 49ers facility after missing training camp and the preseason and is now in the final stages of a contract restructuring with the team. Despite his absence before Week 1 of his 14th NFL season, Williams shared that he had a productive “preparation for football” offseason during his absence.

“At 36 years old, I’m just looking for new ways to continue to get one percent better. I think I had a really good offseason. My coach James Cooper and I focused on it really early and changed a few things,” Williams said. “I feel really good after this offseason.”

He stayed up to date with the team by watching preseason games, noting standout performances from rookies like OL Dominick Puni, S Malik Mustapha, WR Jacob Cowing and RB Isaac Guerendo.

“You’d think they came out of nowhere, but I mean, these guys come in and look like they can contribute from day one. And as a freshman, that’s extremely hard to do. Especially in today’s world where it’s a microwave league – we want everyone to be good as soon as they walk in the door. So that’s kind of my assessment of what I’ve seen.”

During Tuesday’s brief practice media appearance, Williams walked onto the practice field and was seen meeting with running backs coach Bobby Turner and head strength and conditioning coach Dustin Perry. After the team’s practice, he shared his passion and eagerness to continue playing in the NFL.

“I’m still hungry, I still miss the game… I’m going to play as long as I can, as long as I feel like I’m a productive player, as long as I feel like I have something to offer, I’m going to want to play football. That’s all I’ve done since second grade.”

“I just want to continue to break down barriers. At my age, there probably aren’t many people other than a quarterback playing at an All-Pro level. I just want to continue to break those barriers and continue to show that this is a new era.”