The San Francisco 49ers head into Week 18 fighting the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The fact that San Francisco is in this position is stunning, given all the injuries they have had to key players this season. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is one of the most notable absences the 49ers have dealt with in 2025.
What Did Kendrick Bourne Say About Brandon Aiyuk?
Aiyuk, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 of the 2024 season, has not been seen on the field since. While the injury sidelined him for much of this year, his recent absence from the team environment itself has raised eyebrows. That prompted one 49ers receiver to share an update on Aiyuk early Tuesday morning.
Following Monday Night Football, Kendrick Bourne appeared on the Speakeasy podcast and was asked by Emmanuel Acho when he last saw Brandon Aiyuk.
Bourne said, “Man, it’s crazy, so my last year here I was with B.A.{ Brandon Aiyuk}, his rookie year. And we had a great relationship; it was wonderful. So when I came back, I saw him a little bit when I first got in the building… Now he’s been kinda MIA in the building.”
“We ain’t seen [Brandon Aiyuk}, we all seen him in the car speeding”
– @BournePoly11 when asked if he’s seen Aiyuk in the last two months pic.twitter.com/L5MjPCmNKe
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) December 30, 2025
Bourne’s comments shouldn’t surprise anyone. Earlier this month, head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media that it had been a month since they last saw Aiyuk. Taken together, those remarks suggest that Aiyuk’s situation may extend beyond the typical rehabilitation timelines.
Aiyuk’s saga with the 49ers has been an interesting one. The 27-year-old wide receiver missed the entirety of training camp in 2024 thanks to a contract standoff. Although he signed a four-year $120 million contract extension before the 2024 season started, he began the year slowly because he missed training camp. Then he unfortunately got injured, which hurt the 49ers’ offense.
Before the injury, Aiyuk wasn’t putting together a great start to the season. He recorded just 25 receptions on 47 targets for 374 yards, numbers well below expectations for a player viewed as San Francisco’s top receiving option. Still, there was optimism that he would step back in as the team’s No. 1 target once fully healthy.
Now, it seems like things are trending in the direction of San Francisco and Aiyuk parting ways via trade this offseason. Bourne’s latest comments only reinforce this thought. If a trade were to happen, San Francisco would likely be looking for at least one first-round pick in return.
