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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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No team in the NFL has been hit with more injuries at the wide receiver position than the San Francisco 49ers.
They first lost both Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk during the preseason, and then in the season opener against the Rams, they lost rookie standout De'Zhaun Stribling. All three players are on injured reserve and Pearsall has already been ruled out for the season, while Stribling will reportedly miss around 10 weeks.
Those who thought that might be the end of San Francisco's bad luck were wrong. In Sunday's 35-13 win over the Dolphins, Mike Evans and Demarcus Robinson both suffered injuries, Evans with a hip and Robinson with an ankle. Evans' injury isn't thought to be serious, with head coach Kyle Shanahan himself saying his hip was "fine." Robinson, however, is said to have suffered a high ankle sprain, meaning he'll likely miss multiple weeks.
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With injuries at the position continuing to pile up, Shanahan was asked whether the team could bring back Brandon Aiyuk. He bluntly told reporters, "No."
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Aiyuk hasn't played a game since October 2024, when he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus against the Chiefs. Just months earlier, he'd signed a four-year, $120 million deal with the 49ers, making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. But his recovery dragged on, and Shanahan never gave a clear timeline for his return.
Things only got worse from there. The 49ers voided $27 million in salary guarantees after Aiyuk failed to meet contract obligations, and the relationship between him and the team grew distant. In December 2025, San Francisco placed him on the reserve/left squad list, meaning he'd need to formally apply for reinstatement to return, which hasn't happened.
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Now, even with the 49ers' receiver room gutted by injuries, Shanahan has flatly ruled out any possible reunion with Aiyuk. It's a clear message: no matter how thin the roster gets, the Aiyuk chapter in San Francisco is done.
And honestly, it's easy to see why. Aside from Aiyuk's issues with the team, the 49ers haven't struggled at all through two games despite the injuries. They dismantled the preseason Super Bowl favorites in the season opener and just handed a 22-point loss to the visiting Dolphins. Their upcoming schedule is challenging, with matchups against the Cardinals, Broncos, and Seahawks, but Shanahan clearly feels confident in what he has.
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