The 49ers will be cautious with their star wideout, and Brandon Aiyuk might start on the PUP list, but the team sounds optimistic that Aiyuk could be ready as soon as Week 5 or 6, according to Matt Maiocco.
The San Francisco 49ers sound like they’re confident that stud wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will return in 2025 during the first half of the season. Realistically, the soonest that would be is as early as Week 5 or Week 6, once Aiyuk returns from the PUP list.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Aiyuk has an outside chance of returning before that. Here’s what Maiocco said on Thursday during an appearance on KNBR:
I hear he’s doing really well. I hear that knee is even ahead of schedule. I know John Lynch always says, ‘the thing about great athletes is that they’re great healers, too. That they kind of defy the timeline of bouncing back from injuries.’
From what I understand, he’s doing really well. Also, from what I understand is that he could be ready Week 1. But also, because there was more to it than a clean ACL. There was ACL, MCL, some other stuff. They wanna be extra cautious with him. And so, even though the timeline, everything being equal might point to Week 1. And there still might be a chance Week 1.
I think the feeling inside of 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 more than likely have that carry over into the regular season.
So, they really aren’t even tempted to get hinm out there to start the regular season. aANd then, it’s quite possible that he could be ready Week 5 or Week 6, and getting up to speed quiclky.
Everything I’m hearing is things are looking good and the progress is even ahead from the markers that the 49ers put on him when he had that surgery.
The complications of Aiyuk’s surgery sound like that’s the primary reason Week 1 is a longshot. Still, getting Aiyuk back for a road game in Week 5 against the team that won the division last season would be a welcome surprise. It’s worth noting that Week 5 is a Thursday game, so the 49ers could use that for Aiyuk as a target date, knowing that he’ll have a mini-bye and wouldn’t need to suit up for another ten days after.
They could always be cautious and wait until Week 6, assuming Aiyuk has no setbacks, and get their best wideout back in the lineup, still a week or two ahead of schedule. Regardless, it sounds like Aiyuk is doing well and could be back sooner than expected.