A little progress update was provided on Monday regarding Brandon Aiyuk's knee injury.
At the annual NFL owner's meeting, General Manager John Lynch revealed that the 49ers are pleased with where Aiyuk is in his recovery from a torn ACL and MCL.
"I'm not going to get into timelines and all that, but he did very well," said Lynch. "We're pleased with Brandon's progress. He's been working hard and got good reviews from Dr. ElAttrache. That was kind of a key marker and he did well."
It's great to hear that the 49ers are pleased with where Aiyuk is at in his recovery. Of course, the 49ers are never going to publicly say they are concerned if he wasn't doing good.
The update provided by Lynch is more to keep up with a timeline as the regular season draws closer. That way, if there is a hiccup in Aiyuk's recovery, his update will be one to circle back to.
Recently, ESPN's Adam Schefter estimated that Aiyuk would return around midseason. That is probably the most realistic expectation since he did tear both his ACL and MCL.
Aiyuk has been at the forefront of trade reports/rumors since the offseason began. The 49ers have buyer's remorse on the contract extension given to him.
He is due a $22.8 million roster bonus on April 1, so if the 49ers were to trade him, it would be now to avoid paying and being on the hook.
With his bonus about to kick in, trading him isn't going to happen, barring a miracle. Lynch confirmed they won't when he spoke on Monday.
Now, the 49ers will have to hope that their relationship with him hasn't declined with those reports. All of their focus should be on supporting him as he works his way back into playing shape.