San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk will miss the rest of the 2024 NFL season due to a knee injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday.
“I talked with him last night, just calling him at his house,” Shanahan told reporters Monday via conference call. “I haven’t seen him today. But he was hurting, just bummed out. Exactly how you’d expect. But [Aiyuk] is a strong dude and a spiritual guy and believes everything happens for a reason, so he’ll be all right.”
Brandon Aiyuk tore both his ACL and MCL, which are critical ligaments in the knee, in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Aiyuks torn ACL and MCL will sideline him for at least the remainder of this season and possibly a part of next season.
This a huge blow for Brock Purdys recieving core considering Aiyuk had over 1,300 receiving yards season last year.
Quickly, some began questioning whether a lack of preseason played a role in his injury and a 2024 season that had been considered underwhelming.
Before the injury, Brandon Aiyuk had 25 receptions for 374 yards and 0 touchdowns. Not great. He struggled to make a significant impact in 6/7 games this season.
In the first four weeks, Aiyuk failed to surpass five receptions or 48 receiving yards in any game and did not score a touchdown, despite being heavily targeted, particularly in Week 3 with ten targets.
Aiyuk showed signs of life with a standout performance in Week 5 against the Cardinals, recording eight catches for 147 yards. However, in Week 6 against the Seahawks, Aiyuk had two catches for 37 yards and he had two catches for 23 yards before the second quarter injury against the Kansas City Chiefs.
His inconsistent play was partially dismissed as the 49ers fans hoped he would return to form as the season went on.
Aiyuk was pivotal in the 49ers’ offensive success throughout the 2023 season that culminated in a Super Bowl appearance. He finished the 2023 season with 75 receptions, 1,342 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns.
A contract holdout caused Aiyuk to miss training camp as he seeked a deal comparable to other top-tier wide receivers. The standoff made daily headlines and included multiple trade rumors.
Nine days before the 49ers first game, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension that included $76 million guaranteed, positioning him as one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league.
Now the 49ers are going to have to figure out how they will replace Aiyuk. The most logical choice might be to make Jajuan Jennings a starter.
JaJuan Jennings stepping into a starting role for the San Francisco 49ers could be a near seamless transition.
Jennings leads the team in receiving yards this season and ranked fourth in the NFL overall as both a slot reciever and fill-in starter for Deebo Samuel through Week 4.
Last year, during critical stretches, JaJuan Jennings emerged as one of the 49ers most dependable receivers. Over the last seven games of the 2023 season, including playoffs, Jennings recorded 31 catches for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns, outperforming Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
If the 49ers choose to start Jennings they could put first round pick Ricky Pearsall in the slot and rookie Jacob Cowling at WR 4.
However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 49ers acquire a veteran player at the trade deadline. The lack of depth and experience is likely not a consistent season-long solution.
With Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and CMC all banged up, don’t be too surprised if the 49ers go after a Wide Reciver like Cooper Kupp, Adam Thielen, or DeAndre Hopkins.
