After starting the 2025-26 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still waiting to return to the field. The team knew he would miss at least the first four weeks, but the number of games he’s sat out continues to climb.
While none of the banged-up 49ers benefited from a short week, Aiyuk’s situation highlights a primary injury concern for a team that has somehow jumped out to a 3-1 start.
When Will Brandon Aiyuk Make His 2025 Season Debut?
Aiyuk has been dealing with a significant knee injury and has yet to play for the 49ers in 2025. His last appearance was on Oct. 20, 2024, during a season where he played in a career-low seven games. He finished that 2024-25 campaign with just 25 receptions for 374 yards, and both of those statistics were, unsurprisingly, career lows. The 2024-25 season also marked the first of Aiyuk’s career in which he failed to record a touchdown.
Following the knee injury, Aiyuk has remained patient on the sideline. However, before the team’s Week 4 game, 49ers general manager John Lynch stated that the receiver is “not close” to returning. Then, on Thursday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that Aiyuk is still “weeks away” from returning, which is bad news considering San Francisco’s wide receiver room has been decimated by injuries recently.
From The @NFLonPrime TNF pregame show: When will all the #49ers injured players return? For some, pretty quickly. pic.twitter.com/3xpv66BaMw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2025
The 49ers have managed to navigate their way to a 3-1 record despite also dealing with injuries to quarterback Brock Purdy and fellow wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. Still, the slow recovery is understandable, as Aiyuk tore both the ACL and MCL in his right knee.
While playing on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 won’t help San Francisco’s immediate recovery efforts, it does give the team a more extended break to get everyone up to speed for Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Purdy, who re-injured himself last week, now has additional time to rest after the team’s first loss of the season. Considering all of the injuries that San Francisco is dealing with, it’s really impressive that they are 3-1 entering Thursday’s matchup against their division rival, the Los Angeles Rams.
The team would love to have Purdy, Jennings, Pearsall, and Aiyuk on the field together in the near future, but it sounds like Aiyuk recovery timeline will take the longest of the bunch. The health of these key players will be critical for the 49ers as they move deeper into the season.
