Brandon Aiyuk has not appeared for the San Francisco 49ers this season due to a mix of injury recovery and a subsequent team‑status change that rendered him ineligible. After suffering a torn ACL and MCL in October 2024, Aiyuk underwent surgery and opened 2025 on the Physically Unable to Perform list while rehabbing.
The team had publicly expressed hope that he would return to play, but on Dec. 13, 2025, San Francisco placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left team list, a designation used when players intend to retire or temporarily step away, which bars him from playing for the 49ers this year.
Why Is Brandon Aiyuk Not Playing?
Aiyuk’s absence traces to his late‑2024 knee injury and 2025 rehab trajectory, followed by San Francisco’s roster designation that made him ineligible for the season. Reporting throughout the fall also noted an increasing distance between Aiyuk and the club during rehab.
Post‑surgery, he spent the offseason and training camp phases rehabbing and began 2025 on the PUP list. While the team initially anticipated that he would return once healthy, coverage indicated that he remained away from day-to-day team activities as the season approached.
On December 13, 2025, the 49ers placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left team list, a status typically applied to players who step away or consider retirement, making him unavailable for the remainder of the 2025 season.
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That decision closed the door on any in‑season comeback and formalized that he would not take the field for San Francisco this year. As documented, the sequence from injury to roster designation explains why Aiyuk did not play, independent of game readiness or practice ramp‑ups.
Aiyuk’s 49ers Tenure May Well Be Over
Multiple reports indicate that Aiyuk is away from the team and that a separation in the offseason is likely, following a season‑long absence and mounting friction over his status. The timeline includes a 2024 training camp hold-in before he signed a four-year extension, followed by his knee injury and the 2025 reserve/left team designation.
Former teammate Jon Feliciano reacted to Aiyuk’s stance: “It couldn’t be me. Getting paid all that money, I’m falling in line,” Feliciano said.
He added, “‘Yes sir.’ ‘What do you need me to do?’ ‘Anything? Anything you want me to do?’ That’s life‑changing money, that’s family‑changing money.”
Feliciano continued, “Not really. Everyone’s just like ‘I don’t get it.’ It’s a shocking thing. When I was with him my first year, [he was] this selfless [player], giving up his body. This is a complete 180. Not to be there for the team, especially a team that, despite all the odds, is still going out there and playing great ball.”
He concluded, saying, “As a competitor… I was devastated all last year, like in tears, watching the team play when I can’t play. It’s weird.”
Aiyuk’s season-long absence stems from the 2024 knee injury, a stalled rehab relationship, and the 49ers’ reserve/left team designation that made him ineligible. Coverage has consistently framed the situation as a rift that points toward an offseason parting.
San Francisco 49ers’ Stats and Insights for Divisional Round
Playoff: Kyle Shanahan is 4-0 as head coach in the Divisional Round, with three wins at home. He has won at least two games in each of his four previous postseasons.
Team: The San Francisco 49ers have won four straight road games against the Seattle Seahawks, averaging a 10.5-point victory. Seattle scored 63 total points in those games, including 13 in three of them.
QB: Brock Purdy had his worst QBi score of the season in Week 18 with a 66.3 (D) against Seattle, but his season average of 92.1 (A-) led the NFL.
OFF: In Week 18 against the Seahawks, the 49ers registered an OFFi score of 62.9 (D-), which was the team’s lowest score since the 2022 NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy and Josh Johnson, the only active quarterbacks, were injured in that game.
DEF: San Francisco allowed 13 points in each game against Seattle. The Seahawks scored 30.5 points per game in the other 15 games. On the other side, Seattle held San Francisco to 10.0 points per game while the 49ers averaged 27.8 against different opponents.
