The San Francisco 49ers believe that their wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL in an 18-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Aiyuk went down late in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury but was able to walk to the sidelines. However, he was later seen being carted off and didn’t return.
Speaking with reporters after the game, 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan said that the team fears the worst outcome for Aiyuk.
“We’re worried it’s an ACL,” Shanahan said. “Not confirmed yet. But we’ll find out.”
If Aiyuk’s injury is confirmed, it will be a big blow for the 49ers. They are already without star running back Christian McCaffrey and face an uphill battle to make the playoffs after falling to a 3-4 record.
Brandon Aiyuk almost left the 49ers this offseason. He demanded a trade after a breakdown in contract negotiations and attracted the interest of several teams, including the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. Eventually, the two sides managed to come together and agree on a four-year, $120 million contract extension.
Aiyuk had a slow start to the 2024 campaign, eclipsing the 50 receiving yards mark just once and failing to score a single touchdown so far. He has a total of 25 catches for 374 yards this season.
