What to Expect from 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk in 2025

One of the biggest question marks on the 49ers in 2025 is Brandon Aiyuk.

He signed a four-year, $120 million extension on Aug. 29, 2024. Then on Oct. 20 in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he took a hit to his knee and tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus. Now it's unclear when he will return and how good he'll be when he gets back.

In 2023, Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL on Nov. 19, then missed the entire offseason training program and made his season debut Week 3 against the Rams. But he didn't tear his MCL or his meniscus, so he was able to make a come back in 10 months.

Aiyuk's comeback could take longer considering his knee injury was more brutal than Hufanga's. Clearly, Aiyuk will miss OTAs, minicamp and training camp and will attempt to come back at some point mid-season.

I fully expect Aiyuk to play at some point in 2025. But we saw what he looked like last year without a full offseason to train and prepare, and he wasn't good. And that was before he tore up his knee. He simply held out because he was negotiating his extension. When he returned, he was a shell of himself.

Which means we should adjust our expectations accordingly for Aiyuk. He might regain his pre-injury form one day, but probably not in 2025. And there's no guarantee he'll be better than Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall in the future. We'll have to see if Aiyuk still has the speed and quickness that made him special.

Until then, he'll be no higher than third on the wide receiver depth chart when healthy.

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