San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered a somewhat loose timeline for the return of Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk has been continuing to recover from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last year. While Shanahan wouldn’t commit to a specific date, he said Monday that he hopes Aiuyk will be back on the field midseason, along with other injured players Malik Mustapha and Kurtis Rourke.
“I kind of view all those guys around the same time,” Shanahan said, according to ESPN. “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.”
The 49ers will be on the road in Week 6 to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game falls on October 12. Aiyuk missed the final 10 games of the last seasons regular season after sustaining his injury during the Niners’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco currently has a massive injury bug to the receiver group. Jauan Jennings and Jacob Cowing have been missing practice due to injuries. Shanahan also said that a high ankle sprain is expected to sideline rookie Jordan Watkins for at least a month. Additionally, Demarcus Robinson is awaiting word from the league office after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge in July. Even when they sign guys, they have been getting hurt and that includes the running back room.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120-million contract in August 2024 after a lengthy contract dispute with the Niners. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023.
While he will most likely be on the PUP to start the season, the 49ers will be counting down the weeks until they get Aiyuk back. With all of the issues they have at receiver currently, it is starting to look like George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey will be heavy relied on.
Jaden Chandler-Parnell, or “JC” is a Sports & Sports Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports. You can Follow him on X @Jaden95Chandler and on YouTube
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