The San Francisco 49ers were dealt another massive injury blow over the weekend when they lost starting wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the season to a knee injury during a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news via a post to X on Monday, October 21.
"#49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk does, in fact, have a torn ACL and MCL, per sources after the MRI. There may be other damage," Rapoport wrote. "His season is over with a long road back for 2025. This is what coach Kyle Shanahan and SF believed following the game."
San Francisco has an expensive roster depleted by injuries to Aiyuk who is now out for the year, running back Christian McCaffrey who has yet to play a regular-season snap in 2024, and wideout Deebo Samuel who was hurt earlier in the campaign. Samuel also sat out most of Sunday's contest due to an illness.
San Francisco has an expensive roster depleted by injuries to Aiyuk who is now out for the year, running back Christian McCaffrey who has yet to play a regular-season snap in 2024, and wideout Deebo Samuel who was hurt earlier in the campaign. Samuel also sat out most of Sunday's contest due to an illness.
Quarterback Brock Purdy felt the sting of all his missing weapons, throwing for just 212 yards and 3 INTs on the day in a 10-point loss to Kansas City.
The franchise, currently with a record of 3-4 and sitting a game out of first place in the NFC West Division, is now tasked with finding a replacement for Aiyuk who can help the team navigate its way back to the postseason.
Luckily, there are two weeks remaining before the NFL's November 5 trade deadline and a handful of quality receivers potentially available. Among them is five-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are 1-5 with no good answers at QB. Meanwhile, Hopkins is in the final year of his $26 million contract and likely on the way out of Tennessee in free agency come next March. Those circumstances render him a quality trade candidate for a team like the Niners who need to add offensive help now.
Hopkins missed the last few offensive series of the Titans' blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, though head coach Brian Callahan chalked that up to soreness in the wideout's lower leg.
A real injury could complicate a trade for Hopkins, though if he's healthy he could be an asset to several teams -- including both the 49ers and Chiefs, who squared off in the Super Bowl last February.
Hopkins, 32, finished last season with 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and 7 TDs.
