49ers Insider Paints Grim Picture for Brandon Aiyuk Retur...

By James Brizuela

Contributing Writer

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The San Francisco 49ers are finally getting healthy, as Brock Purdy returned to action to throw 200 yards and three touchdowns in Week 11. However, one glaring question remains whether Brandon Aiyuk will return, and a 49ers insider has painted a grim picture regarding his chance to play in 2025.

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Aiyuk has been receiving plenty of updates from 49ers general manager Jon Lynch, but they went from a hopeful expectation they he would take the field in 2025, to radio silence.

Even San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan usually ends the questions about Aiyuk's return with a simple declaration that his practice window will not be opened. It's appearing more and more that the star receiver may not make it to play in the regular season or 2025 at all.

In fact, Tim Kawakami and Matt Barrows discussed the confusing nature of Aiyuk not being around to offer any updates, and the organization oddly not doing the same.

“For a while there, we were seeing Brandon Aiyuk, and Brandon Aiyuk wanted to be seen. This was in training camp, and this was at the start of the season, where he would run shadow routes, while the wide receivers were going through their individual drills. The last month and a half had I haven’t seen him, had not seen him at practice, had not seen him in the locker room. I understand that he’s doing his rehab work in the morning now, and then just kind of skedaddles. So, I don’t know, nobody knows," Barrows said.

"The agent isn’t saying anything. Aiyuk isn’t around to say anything. To me, it’s a bit odd that he’s just, you just don’t see hide nor hair of him at all, after seeing him a lot early. And not just seeing him a lot early, but him going out of his way to make himself seen. I don’t know if there’s frustration, I don’t know what’s happening there, whether he thought he should have been activated by now, and now he’s pouting about it. I don’t know what’s happening. It is a bit odd. We should underscore all of this by reminding everybody that he had a three-ligament injury. It’s not your run-of-the-mill ACL. A year of rehab comes with the territory. That’s not shocking, but we’re now beyond the year," Barrows added.

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There appears to be a lot of confusion regarding Aiyuk having a chance to return in 2025. It is especially concerning that the biggest 49ers insiders are also left in the dark regarding the receiver's progress.

Aiyuk tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL during Week 7 of the 2024 season, and that has led to a lengthy recovery for obvious reasons. As Barrows stated, the usual case is for a normal ACL tear to take about a year to truly recover from, but the 49ers' pass catcher tore all three ligaments.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb experienced something similar during the 2023 season, when he suffered a torn ACL in the final game of the season. Though there was hope he would return in 2024, the Dolphins shut him down for the season instead.

That is obviously a much different situation, but it could be that the 49ers are hoping that Aiyuk can take some sort of step in his recovery before they truly shut him down. The issue is that the NFL is approaching Week 12, and there are no additional answers about whether or not he is even remotely close to being able to practice, let alone take the field again.

Aiyuk might also miss the regular season and instead be ready to go should the 49ers make the playoffs. At 7-4, the team is looking very much like a postseason unit. That said, maybe Shanahan is holding out hope his star playmaker will be ready for that instead of him being rushed back in any capacity for the regular season.

Aiyuk secured 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, and 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, leading to a standoff in the 2024 offseason for a new contract. The 49ers caved and awarded him a four-year, $120 million contract extension.

Aiyuk made it seven games before his significant injury, and there is a chance he may not make it back for the 2025 season.

For more on the 49ers, head to Newsweek Sports.

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