Peyton Manning did not hold back his criticism of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon auk during Monday night's game against the New York Jets Manning a Hall of Fame quarterback called out auk for dropping what should have been his first touchdown of the Season just before halftime in the 49ers 32 to9 Victory with just 15 seconds left in the second quarter at Levi Stadium 49ers quarterback Brock pie threw a near-perfect pass to auk in the corner of the end zone iuk Dove to make the catch but missed letting the ball slip through his hands although the play was challenging it was one iuk was expected to complete Manning speaking during an alternate broadcast of the game on ESPN 2 alongside his brother Eli and former Patriots head coach Bill bellachic was visibly frustrated By the Drop there's a reason for training camp you need it we need the Reps Manning exclaimed he emphasized that getting contract sorted earlier allows players to attend camp and avoid mistakes like the one auk made get those contracts done earlier so we can get in training camp and you don't drop balls on opening night Manning added auk's offseason was dominated by contract negotiations with the 49ers which kept him out of training camp he eventually signed a 4-year $20 million extension but not before requesting a trade which nearly sent him to the Pittsburgh Steelers auk himself admitted that he made the negotiation process more difficult than it needed to be despite finally securing the deal he didn't practice with the team until just last Tuesday Manning didn't mince words about auk's absence from training camp you're still catching balls at a high school field with some quarterback that is 45 years old my age you're not catching balls from your quarterback Manning said get signed get in Camp and we don't drop the ball auk had a stellar 2023 season recording 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 75 catches playing a key role in the 49ers run to the Super Bowl however his 2024 season has started slower than expected with just 28 yards on two catches from five Targets in the win over the Jets despite the rocky start auk's Talent is undeniable and the team will be counting on him to regain his form as the season progresses