The San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver room has been decimated by injuries, leaving the team eagerly awaiting the return of one of its top playmakers—Brandon Aiyuk. While the veteran wideout isn't expected to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers are eyeing a potential return as early as Week 6, depending on how he continues to progress in his recovery.
General manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday morning and shared an update on Aiyuk's status.
"Brandon's done a really good job," Lynch said. "I've talked, throughout the process, he had a lot that went on during that injury. ... I think a lot of people remember that hit, and it was vicious. You could see, like, 'Oh, no, we might be in trouble.' And sure enough, we were."
Aiyuk's injury occurred in October 2024 during a regular-season matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers receiver suffered ACL and MCL tears along with additional damage, prematurely ending his season. The team hopes he can return in 2025 and provide a significant boost to a wide receiver group that underwent an offseason transition following the offseason trade of Deebo Samuel.
"He's recovered well," Lynch added. "I think we feel comfortable saying he's not going to be there Week 1, and then, it will probably be some time after that."
Aiyuk is expected to start the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, ruling him out for the first four games. With San Francisco's Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams coming on a short week, Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appears to be the earliest realistic return date.
However, the 49ers could wait until Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons, as that game will be at Levi's Stadium.
"I'm not going to put exact timelines," Lynch said, "but hopefully, sometime in this season, he's playing the type of football we know, when he's out there, that he is expected to, and expects himself to play at. And it'll be a big boost to our team."