John Lynch Relays Unfortunate News About Brandon Aiyuk's 49ers Return

Despite starting the 2025 NFL season 3-0, the 49ers are dealing with an abundance of injuries on both sides of the football. Defensive end Nick Bosa tore his ACL last weekend and is out for the season, quarterback Brock Purdy is dealing with turf toe and may not play again this week, and tight end George Kittle has been on injured reserve since Week 1 after straining his hamstring.

On top of all of it, star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains on the PUP list as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last season. Unfortunately, as revealed by general manager John Lynch, the pass catcher hasn't had a setback—but isn't close to returning:

"There's different levels when you do these ACLs and Brandon had a fairly significant injury involving a lot of different things in his knee," Lynch answered when asked about the progress Aiyuk has made during an appearance on KNBR's Murph and Markus show. "He's a really gifted athlete and he's a really hard worker and so when you combine that, you tend to come back at a good clip. We're still, there's no like absolutes on these things, so he's gotta continue to hit markers, but he is tracking well. He's working hard. We'll just continue to do that and we'll be a better team when Brandon's out there."

"It's not close," he revealed. "But when we have some more information on that we'll be forthright with it."

A brutal blow for a 49ers team already dealing with various ailments.

Aiyuk, 27, signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with San Francisco ahead of last season after tallying a career-high 1,342 yards, being named a second-team All-Pro, and helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl in 2023.

Sans Aiyuk, Bosa, Kittle, and potentially Purdy, the 49ers welcome the Jaguars to Levi's Stadium this coming Sunday for a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.

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