49ers place Brandon Aiyuk on reserve list, ruling him out for 2025

The San Francisco 49ers kept publically leaving a ace of anticipation that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk mightiness instrumentality this season. That optimism ended Saturday erstwhile the squad placed Aiyuk connected the reserve/left squad list, a designation mostly utilized for players who program to discontinue oregon measurement distant from football.

The determination makes Aiyuk ineligible to play for the 49ers successful 2025. He has been rehabbing a large close genu wounded — a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus — nevertheless helium has not been seen astir the installation successful caller weeks. His placement connected the database suggests helium has not been astir the squad oregon participating successful rehab sessions.

It besides reads arsenic the adjacent measurement toward a split. The 49ers person been surviving with uncertainty since Aiyuk went down past year, and present the separation looks little theoretical and much procedural.

Kittle’s comments and the declaration fight

Tight extremity George Kittle hinted astatine the absorption Thursday, speaking successful a mode that sounded much resigned than hopeful.

“At this point, it doesn't look similar he's coming back,” Kittle said. “I effort my champion to not adjacent deliberation astir it due to the fact that I emotion Brandon. He's 1 of my favourite teammates I've played with. We person a batch of moments unneurotic from his rookie year, each twelvemonth we've played together. That's the Brandon I remember. So, if I deliberation astir the 'I privation he'd beryllium here,' it benignant of conscionable makes maine sad.”

The hostility became nationalist precocious past period erstwhile it was revealed San Francisco voided astir $27 cardinal successful guarantees successful Aiyuk’s declaration for 2026. The determination stemmed from the summer, erstwhile helium missed squad rehabilitation sessions for the injured knee.

Aiyuk spent this play connected the physically incapable to execute list, with the squad hoping to unfastened his 21-day signifier model and perchance get him backmost connected the field. Coach Kyle Shanahan said aboriginal successful the play the anticipation was to get him practicing astir midseason. As precocious arsenic Dec. 2, wide manager John Lynch inactive sounded torn.

“[Is it] realistic? I'm not sure,” Lynch told KNBR vigor connected Dec. 2. “Hopeful? Yeah. I deliberation that's wherever I'd permission that ... We're a amended shot squad erstwhile Brandon is retired there, but that's astir apt what it is. Hope.”

Now the mathematics is arsenic important arsenic the emotions. If the 49ers merchandise Aiyuk aft voiding the guarantees, they look astir $30 cardinal successful dormant cap, with post–June 1 and commercialized routes offering antithetic ways to dispersed the hit.