In 2023, safety Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 12 and managed to return in Week 3 of the 2024 campaign. Aiyuk suffered more than just an ACL tear in his knee which could explain the additional time for his recovery.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been the subject of significant trade speculation, especially with his $22.85 million roster bonus due on April 1.

To me, trading Aiyuk would have been the pinnacle of prisoner-of-the-moment decisions that likely stemmed from the non-football folks in the front office who are unaware of Aiyuk’s impact on the offense.