San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR Thursday morning and said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is not close to returning.
Reading between the lines, this shows the Niners are content with what they currently have at receiver.
49ers GM John Lynch told @KNBR that WR Brandon Aiyuk is “not close” to returning from the knee injury he suffered almost a year ago. There was more damage than just to the ACL, and more recovery time is required.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 25, 2025
This comes after head coach Kyle Shanahan threw Week 6 out there as a potential return point for Aiyuk. This was not a concrete return date, Shanahan just sort of tossed it out of there as a hypothetical, but it seemed to make some sense with the reports of how Aiyuk was progressing in his rehab at the time.
Lynch made it clear there were no setbacks with Aiyuk, it just seems that the team is being cautious and does not want to rush him back before he is ready.
It also reveals that the team is pretty content with their wide receiver situation right now.
49ers seem confident with current crop of healthy WRs
With the return of Demarcus Robinson this week after his three-game suspension, the wide receiver room could actually be in a pretty good spot going forward. Jauan Jennings (ankle/shoulder) is banged up but could play on Sunday, and the same could be said for Ricky Pearsall (knee).
However, if both guys suit up on Sunday, the Niners will have Pearsall, Jennings, Robinson, and Kendrick Bourne as their top four receivers, which is a solid bunch. If that's the quartet San Francisco has for most of the year, then Shanahan and Lynch should be pretty happy with that.
There is still the potential for a very large receiver logjam later this season, though. If Aiyuk returns, rookie Jordan Watkins gets healthy, and Jacob Cowing recovers from his hamstring, then the 49ers will have lots of wide receiver options.
That is probably why Lynch and the Niners are slow-playing things with Aiyuk for a bit because they know they have a good amount of depth at wide receiver right now since they also have veterans like Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Russell Gage.
Plus, the 49ers may already have a more reliable version of Aiyuk in Pearsall. The second-year receiver has already impressed this season and seems to be taking a big step forward after an injury-riddled rookie campaign.
Lynch's comments suggest the Niners are content with where they are at wide receiver right now, so do not expect Aiyuk to be rushed back before he is ready.