There’s a target for Brandon Aiyuk‘s return, but it’s a moving one.
Aiyuk, who missed the final 10 games of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL and MCL, is aiming to return to the field by Week 6 of the 2025 regular season, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday.
Shanahan underscored that it’s a fluid situation and there’s a range of games Aiyuk could be back for, but as of now, he’s on track to return for an Oct. 12 tilt at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going by the schedule.
“I don’t know what I’ve said in the past, but I kind of view all those guys around the same time. Whether it’s [safety Malik] Mustapha, whether it’s [quarterback Kurtis] Rourke, or whether it’s Brandon. They’re all different stages. With where they’re at, I always see them around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, means it could be Week 5, but that’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away,” Shanahan said, via team transcript, when asked specifically about Aiyuk. “I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that, so it’s something I’m not really thinking about too much.”