The past year has been quite a journey for San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk. After sitting out all of training camp, as well as the preseason, he was looking forward to a shiny new contract. Right before the start of the season, after months of waiting, the 49ers finally signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million deal. His actions this offseason angered many 49ers fans who felt like Aiyuk no longer wanted to be a part of the organization.
Unfortunately, this is a business and Aiyuk felt that a hefty raise was due. Since the signing of his extension, however, Aiyuk had a very quiet start to the regular season. You could see glimpses of the 2023 Brandon Aiyuk at times, but it is obvious that he has had an uphill battle in 2024. During their Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, Aiyuk’s season came to a screeching halt. After a catch across the middle of the field, Aiyuk took a hard hit by Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner, which caused his knee to buckle inward.
That hit ended the 2024 season for Brandon Aiyuk. A torn ACL and MCL will shelf Aiyuk until the beginning of next season, maybe longer. For Brandon Aiyuk, the recovery process will be the toughest part of his journey back to the field.
Also Read: Brandon Aiyuk is not the only 49er with injury issues this season.
A Long Road Ahead for Brandon Aiyuk
After the news of his devastating injury, Brandon Aiyuk knew that the recovery process was only the beginning. He recently posted a video stating that he was “Hurting, Hur-ting, Hur-ting. I’m trying to walk around a little bit today, weight-bearing a little bit today, a little bit. But still scared to put more weight on there”. The injury was a huge blow to Aiyuk, and the entire 49er team, as he was just starting to get his feet wet after missing the entire off-season. Aiyuk finished his short season with 25 receptions for 374 yards and zero touchdowns.
In 2023, Aiyuk was clearly coming into his own. He finished the regular season with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Aiyuk was known for his ability to never quit on plays, sometimes finishing blocks the entire length of the field. He was quietly becoming one of the best receivers in the NFL. Not long after the Super Bowl however, the business side of the NFL took over.
Aiyuk became unhappy with his contract at the time, demanding to be paid amongst the most elite receivers in the game. After a long holdout, which included threats to be traded on social media multiple times, Aiyuk returned to the 49ers. The months of uneasiness around the 49ers front office was finally put to rest, but there had to have been hard feelings to start the season. Getting up to game speed was going to take time, but the injury timeframe will be a different beast entirely. Hopefully, by the time he is back on the field, Aiyuk’s knee will be back stronger than ever. The 49ers don’t need the 2023 Brandon Aiyuk to magically appear, just having present-day Brandon Aiyuk would bring a smile to their faces.
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