Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers are looking to get back to being a contender in the NFC.
Just two years ago, the 49ers made a run to the Super Bowl. While they came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs, the future looked bright. Last season, injuries completely derailed the season for San Francisco.
In 2024, the 49ers missed the playoffs. They have sat with that disappointment and frustration all offseason long. With the season coming up quickly, the team is ready to get back on the field and prove that they still belong among the NFC's elite.
Quite a few key players ended up leaving during the course of the offseason. However, San Francisco was able to work out long-term deals with quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle.
Christian McCaffrey is back to full health. Simply plugging him back into the offense will make the 49ers a much more dangerous team.
Another player coming back from an injury is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He tore his ACL last season and has been working hard to return for the 2025 season. To this point, there has been no concrete update about when he could get back on the field.
Now, an update has been revealed.
According to a report from Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, the expectation is that he will start the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which would cause him to miss the first four games of the year. That being said, San Francisco has not ruled him out for Week 1 yet.
"Even though the timeline, everything being equal, might point toward, Hey, there's a chance Week 1 — and there still might be a chance Week 1 — I think the feeling inside the organization has always been don't take any chances, start him off on PUP when they report to training camp on July 22, and then more than likely, just have that carry over into the regular season," Maiocco said.
Aiyuk signed a lucrative new deal with the 49ers last offseason. He played in seven games, catching 25 passes for 374 yards. Back in 2023, he racked up 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, showing legitimate No. 1 wide receiver potential.
At 27 years old, Aiyuk should be handled with care. There is no reason to rush him back onto the field.
Hopefully, he's able to return at the latest four games into the season. He'll be asked to handle a large workload within the offense and become a true go-to target for Purdy.
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