49ers' Kyle Shanahan Provides Worrisome Update on Brandon Aiyuk's Knee Injury

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk walks on the field before the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk walks on the field before the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk exited Sunday's loss against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half after suffering a knee injury. He did not return to the game.

After the 28–18 defeat, head coach Kyle Shanahan dropped a concerning update regarding the star wide receiver's injury, telling reporters that the team is worried Aiyuk sustained a torn ACL.

On the play in which Aiyuk suffered the injury, he caught a pass from Brock Purdy as he was dragged to the ground by Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. At that moment, Chamarri Connor flew in to assist with the tackle and hit Aiyuk straight in the knee. His knee appeared to bend awkwardly and he was down on the ground in pain afterwards.

Aiyuk was escorted into the blue tent and was later seen being carted off the field. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Aiyuk will undergo further testing to confirm the severity of his ACL injury, though it's certainly possible that his season has reached an untimely end.

The 26-year-old ended his dramatic offseason standoff with the organization after agreeing to a four-year, $120 million contract. After missing much of training camp, Aiyuk returned to action but was off to a sluggish start in the regular season. Through the team's first seven games, Aiyuk had 25 receptions for 374 yards and had not recorded a touchdown.


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.