The San Francisco 49ers shared a disappointing update about the injury to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
49ers Share Brandon Aiyuk’s Timeline For Return From Injury
Kyle Shanahan and 49ers Players Address the Media at Training Camp https://t.co/VYjMWKaQq4
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 11, 2025
The 49ers could be missing their No. 1 wideout for an extended period of time.
Aiyuk, 27, is currently recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers placed Aiyuk on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start training camp. Aiyuk has been around the team to help guide the new receivers, but he has yet to practice.
When can the 49ers expect Aiyuk back on the field? Head coach Kyle Shanahan hopes to have Aiyuk back before midseason, along with safety Malik Mustapha and quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who also suffered ACL injuries.
“I kind of view all those guys around the same time,” Shanahan told reporters on Monday via the 49ers X account. “Whether it’s Mustafa, whether it’s Rourke or whether it’s Brandon. They’re all at different stages, but where they’re at, I always see ’em around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it means it could be Week 5, but that’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away. I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that, so it’s something I’m not really thinking about too much.”
2025 is the second straight training camp that Aiyuk has not been present at to start. Last season, Aiyuk and the 49ers were embroiled in a contract dispute.
The 49ers attempted to trade Aiyuk and had a deal in place with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal never happened, and Aiyuk ended up signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension with San Francisco.
Aiyuk had a down year in 2024 before the injury, with 25 receptions for 374 yards and zero touchdowns.
The 49ers hope Aiyuk can return to his 2022 and 2023 production, where he had at least 75 receptions, 1,000 yards, and seven touchdowns in two consecutive seasons.
Who Will Replace Brandon Aiyuk?
Obviously it’s early into training camp, but it feels like Ricky Pearsall is having a similar camp that Brandon Aiyuk had in 2023 before he exploded during the season pic.twitter.com/CRFDsmAjCl
— Coach Yac đŸ—£ (@Coach_Yac) August 7, 2025
With Aiyuk out, how will the 49ers replace his production?
The likely candidates at receiver to generate the bulk of targets are Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. Jennings is coming off a career year in 2024, with 77 receptions, 975 yards, and six touchdowns.
Jennings is currently dealing with a calf injury.
Pearsall, the 49ers’ first-round pick in 2024, missed over six weeks of action after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in a failed robbery toward the end of training camp.
Pearsall finished the 2024 campaign with 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Other receivers who could step into the No. 3 receiver role are Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins (currently out one month with an ankle injury), Isaiah Hodgins, Robbie Chosen, and Russell Gage Jr.
Quarterback Brocky Purdy will also rely on a healthy Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle in the passing game.
