The 49ers’ loss against the Chiefs in Week 7 last season can hardly be forgotten. The team struggled in the absence of some crucial pieces. Both Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings were out due to health issues. While one was sidelined by illness, the other was struggling with hip problems. Another key piece missing in the clash against the Chiefs was Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers took the blow of a 28-18 home loss. “I’ve just got to play better,” Brock Purdy said after one of his arguably worst performances in that matchup with 3 INTs. But heading into the 2025 season, the QB might have to brace for another storm.

The injury Aiyuk sustained in that game wasn’t a simple one. Much to the 49ers’ misery, it ended his 2024 campaign early after he tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee. Cut to the present, the question is whether the player is healthy and when he can return to Brock Purdy’s squad. For a long time, San Francisco GM John Lynch couldn’t give a clear answer.

In conversation with KNBR, he said that Aiyuk’s return might not be in “Week 1, but hopefully I’m surprised. We’ll see, continue to watch him work his way through his rehab. But we want him fully healthy. He had a significant injury, so you have to do a significant rehab. He’s doing a really good job with that, and we got to continue to do so.”

And he wasn’t wrong. What’s worse is that it could take even longer to join Brock Purdy’s team, as Kyle Shanahan recently gave a timeline. Per the reporters, the coach said the wide receiver might return by Week 6, after completing his rehab. “I always see them around Week 6. Which, that could mean Week 10. That could be Week 5. That’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long ways away. I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that. So it’s something I’m not thinking about too much,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan’s timeline suggests Aiyuk will likely start the season on the reserve/PUP list, making Week 5 against the Rams the earliest possible return. A later return in Week 10 is also possible. But this could become troublesome for Purdy. Back in that clash against the Chiefs without Aiyuk, Brock Purdy threw back-to-back picks, with the third-quarter one coming from a miscommunication with Ronnie Bell.

After the game, both he and Kyle Shanahan said it was on the QB for overthrowing it. “The second interception was on me again. Ronnie did his job. I thought he just got hemmed up,” Purdy said.

Well, the QB has put up a 101.9 passer rating in his career without Aiyuk, throwing for 2,333 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in just 9 games. Without the right weapons and pieces around him, Mr. Irrelevant is well aware of his troubles. With Aiyuk potentially missing the first few weeks, Purdy will have to step up. He is putting in all the work. But the 49ers have another issue at hand at the same time.

Another season, another injury headache for Brock Purdy’s 49ers

The 49ers’ WR room could use as much help as possible this season. Things got serious after Jordan Watkins was revealed to be out for a month with a high-ankle sprain. The Aiyuk situation is already making headlines. And Jennings, who missed nearly two weeks of practice with what the team called a calf injury, still doesn’t have his status confirmed. The situation is quite grim for Shanahan and the 49ers. That naturally sparks the idea of bringing in a proven veteran, but Shanahan isn’t rushing to hit the free-agent market just yet. He admitted there are “possibilities later” but made it clear nothing’s guaranteed. It seems the Niners are weighing their options carefully.

After all, it’s about finding the right fit who’s actually available, makes sense financially, and won’t blow up their salary cap plans. And when names like Amari Cooper and Gabe Davis are floating around, it’s definitely tempting to make a splash. “We’re looking into everything. We’ll always try to do the best, but you try not to just panic and do something to survive a tough situation at the expense of what would really hurt you later this year and definitely next year,” Shanahan said.

The patience is running low as the coach plays the long game. It remains to be seen how the team handles it.