49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk ‘not anywhere close’ to having a concrete timeline to return from knee injury

49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is opening training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list and it doesn’t appear he will be coming off it anytime soon. Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered during a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season and it remains unclear when he will return to the field in 2025.

During his press conference to open training camp, 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is “encouraged” by his recovery, but didn’t provide a specific return date.

“We’re not anywhere close to having a concrete timeline (for return),” Lynch said on Tuesday.

Earlier this offseason, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan loosely answered a question about a timeline on when Aiyuk could return to the field, while leaving the door open for the sixth-year receiver to return as soon as Week 1.

“I don’t know,” Shanahan said in April when talking about Aiyuk’s timeline. “It’s too early to tell. The goal is always early. You hope to have him right away. We were told by his doctor there’s a chance. But it’s too early in the process and we’ll see when we get closer to training camp and see what it looks like.”

Aiyuk is not the only wide receiver on the roster opening training camp on the PUP list. Ricky Pearsall, the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is also opening training camp on the list, but his stint on the list could be short. Lynch said in the same press conference that the former Florida product is “likely” to come off the PUP list within the first few days of training camp.

If Aiyuk does miss the start of the 2025 season, Pearsall and Jauan Jennings — who recently requested a new contract with the franchise — could be due for larger roles. Aiyuk caught just 25 passes for 374 yards in seven games during the 2024 campaign, one year removed from earning All-Pro honors.