Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t played a down for the 49ers in well over a full calendar year. And there doesn’t appear to be any kind of return date set, either, and there is a growing chance that he doesn’t play at all in 2025.
49ers Have No Update On Brandon Aiyuk’s Status
Coming off of a career year in 2023, Aiyuk suffered a devastating injury on October 20th, 2024. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the then-26-year-old suffered both a torn ACL and MCL, which immediately ended his campaign. And with the recovery time needed, it was widely assumed that Aiyuk would be unavailable for the start of 2025.
John Lynch was asked if there could be a scenario where this would be a red shirt year for Brandon Aiyuk and he can focus on his recovery for next season:
“That’s not the intention. The intention is to get Brandon back. We’re not there yet. So we’ll continue to have him excel… pic.twitter.com/oVAEKkAq8g
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 13, 2025
But the saga wasn’t expected to last quite this long. Aiyuk missing training camp was no surprise, and many predicted that he would make his return to the field for the 49ers at some point between Weeks 5 and 8 this year. At the very least, it was thought that he’d at least be practicing by then.
As we approach Week 11, however, there are no imminent signs of Brandon Aiyuk being available any time soon. He remains on the IR, and team general manager John Lynch hinted on Thursday that there is a possibility that we don’t see the talented wide receiver at all this year.
When asked if the 49ers were viewing the situation as a potential “redshirt” season for Aiyuk, Lynch said the following:
“That’s not the intention, the intention is to get Brandon back. We’re not there yet, we just gotta get him to a place where we’re comfortable opening that window, and see if he can make it back on the field. That is the intention. But we’ll see, no absolutes there.”
San Francisco Has Top Passing Attack Despite Injuries
While San Francisco has been slipping in recent weeks, it isn’t because of a poor passing game. Despite injuries to key pieces like Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, and of course, the team’s starting quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers somehow have the no.1 ranked passing offense in the NFL. Given the unit’s current production, there may not be as much of a need to rush Aiyuk back for any reason.
If we are to hear any kind of update on Brandon Aiyuk in the near future, it will feature the “21-day window”. Once the team opens his practice window, they have 21 days to evaluate and then either activate him or keep him out for the season. That window hasn’t been opened.
The 49ers are sitting at 6-4 and 1.5 games back of both the Seahawks and Rams in the NFC West. They’ll have a chance to get back on track in the division in the coming weeks, as their next four games are against the Cardinals, Panthers, Browns, and Titans.
They are currently listed as 2.5-point favorites in Arizona this Sunday.
