STATELINE, Nev. — Jerry Rice loves playing golf with fellow celebrities annually here in the American Century Championship.

He doesn’t love how the 49ers look with training camp approaching.

“I just feel like we added on too many pieces. The reason why I say that is these guys are young guys,” Rice said Thursday. “Super Bowl 60 is going to be here in San Francisco (at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara). I would have preferred to sort of leave everything like last year, add on to that, and have a chance for this coming year.”

Rather than return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season, the 49ers went 6-11 in an injury-plagued 2024 season, prompting sweeping changes to their roster, especially on defense.

“A lot of young guys. Now, can Kyle Shanahan pull it together and can these guys jell? We have to wait and see,” Rice said. “But there’s this big question mark if it’s going to work.

“I’m always going to go Niners no matter what. But we’re bringing in so many young players. It’s going to take a while for that team to jell. If it doesn’t happen this year, then maybe the next couple of years.”

Here are key topics Rice covered before Thursday’s pro-am round and Friday’s 8:57 a.m. tee time as a 350-to-1 longshot:

AIYUK’S REHAB

A key factor in the 49ers’ upcoming season will be wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s comeback from knee reconstruction, having torn his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments last October.

Rice sustained ACL and MCL tears in the 1997 season opener and rushed back before injuring his patella in December that season.

His advice to Aiyuk: “Don’t rush it.”

“He’s going to want to prove to everyone, ‘Hey look, I’m back.’ It’s going to take some time for him,” Rice said. “I’d rely on those other guys to do most of the work and just blend him back in.”

DEFENSIVE CHANGES

Do the 49ers need their star-studded offense to go big and cover for the young defense under once-again coordinator Robert Saleh?

Rice responded: “I feel like you win championships with defense. Maybe that’s why they brought Robert back. If that defense can get rolling like it did the last couple of years when he was around, I think we have a legitimate chance.

“The offense is going to take a while to catch up. You want the offense toward the end working on all cylinders. If that happens now, everything is good to go.”

Rice reiterated that it will take time for young defenders to blossom.

“And even though Robert is the ultimate defensive coordinator, these guys actually have to get on the field and play,” Rice said.

NAME DROPPING

The 49ers offense remains mostly intact, minus Deebo Samuel and Aaron Banks. But Rice noted: “There’s a lot of question marks. We don’t know what’s going to happen with McCaffrey. I would love for George Kittle to stay healthy all season long. We have really good receivers that can make plays. But everything feels like a little of a question mark.”

About those other receivers ...

On Jauan Jennings: “I love him. He’s a beast on the field.”

On Ricky Pearsall: “This is his opportunity.”’

On rookie Jordan Watkins: “Everybody is looking good and now it’s whether they can carry that into the season.”

SUPER BOWL ICON

Rice, the NFL’s most prolific receiver and touchdown scorer of all time, is hoping to have a role related to Super Bowl LX, which will be held Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium. “I’m hoping to be an ambassador to Super Bowl LX and I’m hoping my Niners are in Super Bowl LX.”

CURRY JUST OFF PAVELSkI’S LEAD

Steph Curry is back in title contention, almost as if he never left it.

Curry is two points off the lead after Friday’s opening round of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, where he won two years ago in his last appearance.

“It was nice to get back in that environment really quickly,” Curry said.

Former San Jose Sharks star Joe Pavelski owned the first-round lead with 23 points, followed by Vinny Del Negro (22), Curry (21) and Taylor Twellman (21) in the Stableford scoring format.

Curry birdied three of his final five holes — but bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 — in his encore at Edgewood. He detoured from last summer’s tournament to win Olympic gold with the U.S. basketball team in Paris.

“There’s definitely confidence, for sure,” Curry said. “You just want a little clarity of what you’re trying to do and not worrying about the results. Staying in the present is what’s important.”

Curry was introduced as co-defending champion with Mardy Fish, the 2024 winner, at Thursday’s pre-tournament news conference.

A hamstring injury two months ago spelled the end of Curry’s 16th season with the Warriors, who then fell in the Western Conference semifinals to Minnesota. Curry certainly looked healthy Friday playing alongside his father, Dell, and brother, Seth.

“It was obviously fun playing with my dad and my brother, matching outfits and getting the vibe going,” Steph Curry said.

He opened with a bogey, but he climbed the leaderboard with birdies at Nos. 14 and 15. Back-to-back bogeys preceded his 18th-hole birdie.

An errant drive on No. 18 forced Curry to consider three different shots before a phenomenal approach shot that led to his birdie.

Said Curry: “That was just knowing, ‘I’m not a professional golfer. I want to win this tournament. It’s kind of a cool shot. Let’s go for it.’ And it worked out.”

His final putt circled the hole before dropping, prompting Curry to celebrate by twisting his hips in hula fashion.

Pavelski, a runner-up two of the past three years, is seeking his first title here on Lake Tahoe’s south shore. He celebrated his 41st birthday Friday.

“I’ve played with some of the guys that have won it and I’m trying to get there,” Pavelski said. “I’ve been in contention enough. I’d like to keep my head forward, keep moving and come up with enough big shots on the way.”

Pavelski excelled with the Sharks from 2006-19, then played five seasons in Dallas before retiring a year ago.

Leading the 49ers’ three-man contingent was Jerry Rice (plus-2), ahead of Kyle Juszczyk (0 points) and George Kittle (minus-9).

Fish, last year’s winner, is tied for eighth place after finishing with 17 points.

“The energy is unbelievable. From the time you put the tee in the ground on the range, you feel it,” Curry said. “That’s why this tournament is so special. We’re trying to live our best golf dreams. …Course is playing hard, too, which is making it interesting and hopefully that continues through the weekend.”