Why the 49ers believe they don't need Brandon Aiyuk anymore

The 49ers are putting their faith in this player.

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There's a reason the 49ers gave Brandon Aiyuk $30 million per season.

They thought he was irreplaceable. They thought he was elite. They thought he was the best wide receiver they'd had since Terrell Owens and the future of the offense, along with Brock Purdy. That was only a year ago.

Now, the 49ers seem to think they can win the Super Bowl without him.

Just look at what the 49ers did this past weekend. On Saturday, they placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, officially ending his season. They had been holding out hope that he would change his mind and return to the playing field for the stretch run of the season, even though he hasn't been in the facility for the past month. I guess they finally stopped hoping.

By placing Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, the 49ers sent the message that they don't need him anymore. And then, to really drive that point home, on Sunday, the 49ers made sure to showcase Aiyuk's replacement, Ricky Pearsall, by giving him 7 targets. He caught 6 of them for 96 yards.

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

After the game, I asked Pearsall if he had a feeling he would get lots of opportunities in this game when he looked at the game plan.

"Honestly, yes," Pearsall said with a laugh. "I definitely thought I was going to have some opportunities today."

The 49ers needed Pearsall to have a big game the day after ending Aiyuk's season. They needed the narrative to be that they're better off without that me-first diva, and that Pearsall can do everything Aiyuk did before his knee injury while having a team-first attitude. And they might be right.

Pearsall certainly doesn't complain when the 49ers don't throw him the ball -- just look at the past few games before Sunday's win over the Titans.

Aiyuk always seemed upset that he wasn't getting the ball enough -- even in wins. And in 2024, he didn't play well before he went down. He seemed disengaged and he dropped a bunch of passes. And now, there's no guarantee he'll ever be good again after tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus.

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

But when Aiyuk was healthy and engaged, he was special. And he might make a full recovery.

Meanwhile, Pearsall hasn't yet shown that he can reach that level. In two seasons, he has just three touchdowns. And when the 49ers throw him the ball a lot, he tends to get hurt. Against the Titans, he hurt his ankle and reaggravated a PCL injury that kept him out for six games.

At this point, there's no guarantee the 49ers will give Pearsall a second contract, let alone $30 million per season.

Elite wide receivers don't come around that often.

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