Top NFL players have been plagued by injuries lately, and now the San Francisco 49ers have joined that unfortunate trend. Star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a concerning leg injury during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was carted off to the locker room.
Aiyuk had just hauled in a pass from quarterback Brock Purdy when he was tackled to the ground by Trent McDuffie and Chamarri Conner; replays showed that his right leg bent awkwardly.
Aiyuk, too? Good lord, give the Niners a break on the injury front.pic.twitter.com/xgrJrIePnf
— Joe Flacco is Elite (@UrinatingTree) October 20, 2024
After a short stay in the blue medical tent and attempts to try and walk it off on the sidelines, Aiyuk would soon be carted to the locker room and has yet to return to the game.
Brandon Aiyuk leaving the field on a cart after the first half. Looks like he’s done. pic.twitter.com/C9D9pbR1BT
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) October 20, 2024
Unfortunately, the latest update would be the worst-case scenario. According to multiple sources, the 49ers fear Aiyuk may have suffered a torn ACL, meaning that his season would be over.
Brandon Aiyuk was off to a slower start to the 2024 NFL season

Aiyuk, whom the 49ers selected with the 25th overall pick in the opening round of the 2020 NFL Draft, initially held out before eventually agreeing to a four-year, $120 million contract extension.
The extension came after he was only one year removed from a career year in 2023, racking up an impressive 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns while also playing a key role in San Francisco's run to Super Bowl LVIII against the Chiefs, a game they ultimately fell short in. He also earned 2nd Team All-Pro honors.
While the extension process got messy, Aiyuk would later admit that he made things more difficult than they needed to be, via NFL.com.
“I'm not going to lie, I made it a little bit more difficult than I needed to at the end,” he said shortly after agreeing to the contract. “I just had a feel for what I wanted, not just in terms of money, but in all those things. Ultimately, I wanted to be here and ended up being here. So I'm happy and ready to go.”
So far in 2024, he's hauled in 23 catches for a total of 351 yards.