49ers' Kyle Shanahan provides update on Brandon Aiyuk return timeline

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he continues to recover from ACL and MCL injuries sustained in October 2024. The star receiver is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season, when the 49ers open on the road against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan offered an update on when fans might expect to see him back on the field.

And it's precisely what most expected.

Aiyuk is likely to begin the season on the PUP list, which would sideline him for at least the first four games. Given that the 49ers face a short turnaround before a Week 5 Thursday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, it was always unlikely—though not impossible—that he would return for that contest.

The 49ers have multiple players projected to open the year on the PUP list, and Shanahan says their recovery timelines are viewed fairly similarly.

"They're all at different stages, but where they're at, I always see them around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it means it could be Week 5," Shanahan explained. "But that's the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long ways away. I know it's not Week 1 or anything like that, and so it's something I'm not really thinking about too much."

Could the 49ers add a veteran receiver?

With Aiyuk sidelined for the early part of the season, Jauan Jennings still dealing with a lingering calf injury, and rookie Jordan Watkins suffering a high-ankle sprain, Shanahan was asked if the 49ers might consider adding a veteran pass catcher—perhaps even someone like Amari Cooper.

"It is a challenge," Shanahan said of navigating the roster situation. "There's possibilities later. None are guaranteed. And there's lots of things that are tied to that—who's available, how much they're available for, and the situation our team's in, salary cap-wise and stuff, and what we can do.

"But yeah, we're looking into everything. We'll always try to do the best, but try not to just panic and do something to survive a tough situation at the expense of what would really hurt you later in this year, and definitely next year."