The receiver place stays unsure within the case of the San Francisco 49ers with Week 1 drawing nearer. Each star large receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are sidelined via harm, and in every case, there is no such thing as a agency timeline for a return.
Aiyuk continues to rehab the ACL and MCL tears that ended his 2024 marketing campaign. All through the offseason, a important query for San Francisco has been his capacity to return to full well being in time for the beginning of the season. Aiyuk has been forward of schedule, however as of final month, a stint on the active/PUP list appeared seemingly in his case. Such a state of affairs would guarantee not less than a four-game absence to start the marketing campaign.
Throughout a Thursday look on KNBR radio (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News), 49ers basic supervisor John Lynch mentioned he doubts Aiyuk will be capable of play within the group’s regular-season opener. He confirmed there may be nonetheless no timetable in place, although, which means it stays to be seen is an PUP stint will probably be deemed essential. Aiyuk has 4 years remaining on the $30M-per-year extension he signed final offseason.
“There are simply steps that you need to proceed to hit. I’ll proceed to say that Brandon is doing very properly in his rehab. Do we’ve an actual date? No. I don’t suppose it’ll be Week 1, however hopefully, I’m shocked. We’ll see. Persevering with attempting to look at him work his method via this rehab. Once more, we wish him absolutely wholesome. He had a major harm, and you need to do a major rehab.”
In the meantime, the 49ers proceed to attend for Jennings’ return to motion. A calf harm has him sidelined towards the backdrop of a request for an upgraded contract. Jennings has not officially asked to be traded, per head coach Kyle Shanahan, however a report from final month acknowledged he’ll seek a change of scenery within the absence of a increase being labored out via an extension. With nothing imminent on that entrance, Jennings continues to get better.
“Jauan’s working with our well being and efficiency employees, attempting to get again out on the sphere,” Lynch mentioned of the 28-year-old, via David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “Jauan acquired his calf within the offseason, strained it, and calves can sort of linger, sadly. And got here out, practiced some, and wasn’t feeling nice, and so we’ve sort of put him off to the facet… Don’t have any timetable, however we’ll see.”
Jennings loved a profession 12 months in 2024 because the 49ers handled accidents elsewhere on the receiver depth chart. The choice to commerce away Deebo Samuel helped set Jennings up for an additional season in a big offensive function. One 12 months stays on the previous seventh-rounder’s contract and he’s owed $4M for 2025. A robust season would assist Jennings’ marketplace for subsequent spring, supplied no extension is labored out earlier than that time.
2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall is in line to function a key determine in San Francisco’s passing assault supplied he can stay wholesome this season. The group additionally has veteran Demarcus Robinson and recent signing Robbie Chosen within the combine. Aiyuk and Jennings will every be essential components within the 49ers’ efforts to rebound from final 12 months’s efficiency, however it’s nonetheless unclear when both of them will probably be wholesome.
