The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with injuries all season, with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk remaining the biggest wild card of the room.
Although the 49ers are still hoping that Aiyuk can return in 2025, he has yet to be cleared to do so. The 27-year-old recently returned to the limelight when the team reportedly voided his contract, but that does not indicate any intentions of moving on, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
“As ‘The Athletic' reported the other day, [Brandon Aiyuk] had $27 million for next season voided. But that was a couple of months ago, and since then, the 49ers have been committed to getting Aiyuk healthy and back on the field.
“Just because next year was voided doesn't necessarily mean that this was going to be a divorce. My understanding is the belief is Aiyuk is close to being cleared in his return from that ACL injury, but he hasn't had it yet. Like Kyle Shanahan said every week, we're kind of looking to see when that clearance is coming, when he's going to go back to practice.”
From @NFLGameDay Morning on the curious case of #49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk: The belief is he’s close to being cleared and can still work his way into being a Niner this year and beyond. For now, still in limbo. pic.twitter.com/RoVzFq5YMa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 23, 2025
Aiyuk has not played since October 2024, when he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus against the Kansas City Chiefs. His 2024 campaign had been going poorly before the injury, with Aiyuk accumulating just 374 receiving yards in seven games.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk's injury disrupts long-term plans
Players typically return from a torn ACL after about a year, but Aiyuk's situation has been complex from the start. The 2023 All-Pro essentially had full reconstructive surgery on his entire knee and spent his entire summer slowly working his way back onto the field.
Although Aiyuk was clearly the 49ers' most talented pass-catcher before his injury, he will return to an entirely different team. His former running mate, Deebo Samuel, is no longer on the roster, while Ricky Pearsall is slowly emerging as the team's new go-to target. Pearsall racked up 327 receiving yards in the first four games of 2025 before suffering his own knee injury that kept him sidelined for nearly two months.
The 49ers extended Aiyuk late in the 2024 offseason, but not until after one of the most exaggerated contract holdouts in recent history. San Francisco eventually caved and gave him a four-year, $120 million extension, but not until after Aiyuk requested a trade.
