49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn't expect Brandon Aiyuk to return from ACL injury until October at the earliest
Aiyuk tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20 last season, ending his 2024 campaign in Week 7. Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the status of the All-Pro wide receiver on Monday alongside that of backup rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke and second-year safety Malik Mustapha, who are also recovering from torn ACLs.
Shahanan declined to offer a definitive return timeline for any of them.
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"I always see them around Week 6," Shanahan said of their potential returns. "Which that could mean Week 10. That could be Week 5.
"That's the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long ways away. I know it's not Week 1 or anything like that. So it's something I'm not thinking about too much.
Signs point to Aiyuk starting season on PUP list
The timeline Shanahan offered coincides with the NFL's physically unable to perform (PUP) list rules, indicating that all are on track to start the season on the reserve/PUP list.
Aiyuk is currently on the preseason PUP list. If he starts the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, he wouldn't be eligible to return until Week 5. From there, players on the reserve/PUP list have through Week 9 to return to practice and 21 days from that point to be elevated to the active roster. Players who don't return within those guidelines remain on the reserve list for the remainder of the season.
The most optimistic of Shanahan's projections — a Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams — would see Aiyuk return on Oct. 2 for what projects as a key NFC West matchup. That would mean a layoff of nearly a full year from his injury.
A Week 10 return would place Aiyuk back in the lineup for another game against the Rams on Nov. 9. Each of those projected missed weeks would involve missing a game. The 49ers don't have their bye until Week 14.
The bottom line here: Don't expect Aiyuk back until Week 5 at the earliest. Beyond that, his timeline remains murky.
Who will step up from hobbled 49ers offense?
The sooner Aiyuk returns, the better for the 49ers, obviously. Aiyuk broke out in 2023 with 75 catches for 1,342 yards (17.9 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns, an effort that earned him a selection as a second-team All-Pro. His effort eventually earned him a four-year, $120 million extension to his rookie contract following a holdout through most of 2024 training camp.
Aiyuk's production dropped before his Week 7 injury, and he finished 2024 with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns through six-plus games. The 49ers are counting on him to return to his All-Pro form whenever he is cleared from his knee injury.
The 49ers no longer employ longtime receiver Deebo Samuel, whom they traded to the Washington Commanders in the offseason. That leaves Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings atop the 49ers depth chart when healthy alongside second-year pro Ricky Pearsall, who remarkably recovered last season from a gunshot wound to the chest to play in 11 games and tally 400 yards and three touchdowns.
Jennings has been sidelined with a calf injury during practice amid a reported desire for a new contract. Shanahan said recently that his absence from practice has been due to a legitimate injury and not because of his contract situation.
A first-round selection in the 2024 Draft, Pearsall could be in line for a potential breakout on the heels of a healthy offseason with Aiyuk sidelined to start the season. The 49ers are also expected to be without fourth-round rookie receiver Jordan Watkins, who Shanahan said Monday will be sidelined for at least a month with a high-ankle sprain.
The good injury news in San Francisco is that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has so far remained healthy through training camp after being limited to four games in 2024 due to multiple injuries to his calf, Achilles tendon and knee.
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