John Lynch: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk ‘Not Close’ To Return
49ers general manager John Lynch said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is “not close” to returning to the field from last year’s devastating knee injury.
“There’s no absolutes on these things,” said Lynch on Wednesday (via KNBR). “He’s gotta continue to hit markers. He’s tracking well, we’ll be a better team when Brandon’s out there.”
Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in Week 7 last year, setting him up for a lengthy recovery process that will extend well into this season. In August, Lynch said that there was no timetable for Aiyuk’s return, while head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested that the veteran wideout could return around Week 6.
Aiyuk started the season on the physically unable to perform list, making him ineligible to practice until next week. He would then have three weeks to be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve, a situation the 49ers will want to avoid. Lynch’s comments further indicate that Aiyuk won’t be back anytime soon, though the veteran receiver was seen working out during a practice last week, per CBS Sports’ Matt Lively.
As a result, San Francisco will continue to work with a thin receiving corps until Aiyuk’s return, as the team has dealt with injuries to Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder) and Ricky Pearsall (knee) this year as well. Rookie Jordan Watkins is dealing with a calf injury, but has avoided injured reserve for the time being despite some early prognostications of an extended absence. All three wideouts were absent on Wednesday, though Pearsall said (via KNBR) that he would play “if there was a game today.” Jennings missed every practice last week and didn’t play on Sunday, though the 49ers will certainly be hoping he’s ready to go for Week 4.
Pearsall has impressed amid his teammates’ absences this year, racking up 281 yards in 16 catches through three games. Jennings has 105 yards in his two starts, while Kendrick Bourne has added 70 yards in the last two games. If their WR health issues continue, the 49ers will need Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to step up for their next few games.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/25
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Anthony Miller
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB AJ Woods, WR Michael Woods
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Quinton Jefferson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Lecitus Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Tim Jones
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Royce Newman, TE Gee Scott Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Kevin Austin
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: QB Hunter Dekkers
New York Giants
- Signed: OLB Tomon Fox
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Lawrance Toafili
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE William Bradley-King, S Jaylen Mahoney
- Released: S Derrick Canteen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Jerrick Reed II
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/25
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: FB Adam Prentice
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: TE Ross Dwelley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: RB Najee Harris (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DE Robert Beal Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: S D’Anthony Bell
- Placed on IR: FB Robbie Ouzts
Free Agents
- Suspended: WR Jahmal Banks
Prentice had been called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation the maximum three times under a single practice squad contract. The Broncos may allow him to stick around for a bit, as he takes linebacker Dre Greenlaw‘s roster spot while he recovers on injured reserve, but they can always release Prentice and sign him back to the practice squad, resetting his elevation count back to zero under a new deal.
Ouzts heads to IR after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s win over New Orleans this past weekend. The fifth-round rookie out of Alabama converted to the position from the tight end role he played in Tuscaloosa, and he had started two of his first three games in the NFL in his new role.
Banks, currently a free agent, has received a six-week suspension from the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, Banks spent the offseason in Baltimore before getting cut in the days leading up to the roster cut deadline.
49ers Open To Edge Rush Trade Addition
The 49ers have started the season 3-0 but yesterday brought about a massive blow to their defense. Testing on Nick Bosa‘s knee revealed he suffered an ACL tear. 
As a result, San Francisco’s top pass rusher will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Replacing Bosa’s production will be a challenge if in-house options are relied upon as replacements. An outside move could be made as well, as head coach Kyle Shanahan noted.
“There’s got to be trade options that make sense for you and another team, but you can’t just do that stuff just to do it,” Shanahan said when speaking about the possibility of acquiring a pass rusher via trade (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio).
For the most part, a by-committee approach will of course be needed to compensate for losing Bosa. First-round rookie Mykel Williams has already established himself as a key figure along the defensive front, and that will need to continue moving forward. Veterans Yetur Gross-Matos (who is in his second campaign with the 49ers) and Bryce Huff (who was acquired via trade this offseason) are in the fold, and they could see an uptick in usage now that Bosa is sidelined. Gross-Matos is a pending free agent, while Huff is on the books through 2026 (although his base salary for next season is not guaranteed).
In both cases, then, a strong showing to close out the current campaign would be key ensuring an extended stay in the Bay Area. At least one of Gross-Matos or Huff could land a full-time starting gig moving forward; the latter has recorded one sack in each of the past two games while handling a 48% snap share. Huff is not known as a strong run defender, on the other hand, something which could lend itself to an outside addition as a depth option.
The likes of Za’Darius Smith (Eagles), Jadeveon Clowney (Cowboys) and Preston Smith (Commanders) have signed with their new teams early in the season, taking them off the market. The trade route will be explored to no surprise, but the 49ers may need to wait several weeks before the list of sellers becomes more clearly defined. In any case, it will be interesting to see if a deal is pursued with Bosa out of the picture.
49ers DE Nick Bosa Suffers ACL Tear
Further testing on Nick Bosa‘s knee has produced an unwanted outcome. The 49ers will be without their top pass rusher for the rest of the season. 
Bosa was believed to be in the clear regarding an ACL tear after initial tests, although head coach Kyle Shanahan left the door open to other serious injuries. An MRI has revealed that initial optimism was misplaced. Bosa did in fact tear his ACL yesterday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Schefter adds this was a clean tear, something which represents only a small consolation. Bosa’s latest injury occurred in his left knee; that is the same one which experienced an ACL tear in 2020. As was the case that time around, the 49ers will need to play out a lengthy spell with a shorthanded defense.
Bosa recovered in full from his first ACL tear (at the NFL level) and only missed four total games across the following four seasons. After going down in Week 3 of the current campaign, however, the All-Pro is in line for another lengthy rehab stint. No other ligaments were damaged, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. That will help lessen Bosa’s recovery timeline, but he will still be forced to miss the remainder of the campaign.
After managing to deliver a string of healthy and highly productive seasons, Bosa managed to reset the EDGE market shortly before the start of the 2023 season. The five-time Pro Bowler inked a five-year extension averaging $34MM per year. At the time, that represented the highest AAV for defensive players and non-quarterbacks around the NFL. The bar has since moved on both fronts, but Bosa obviously represents a major element of the 49ers’ financial plan for the near- and long-term. The impact of losing him to another ACL tear cannot be understated.
Another three years remain on Bosa’s contract. He will return to his role as an impact starter once healthy, but in the meantime the 49ers will proceed without him. San Francisco has first-round rookie Mykel Williams in place as the team’s other first-team defensive end. He has logged a 69% snap share to date, and that figure could increase moving forward. Trade acquisition Bryce Huff is also in the fold, along with Yetur Gross-Matos, Tarron Jackson and Sam Okuayinonu.
That group will be tasked with helping to maintain the 49ers’ strong start on defense. San Francisco sits at 3-0 so far in 2025, and with nearly $26MM in cap space a short-term addition could be sought out via trade or free agency. In any event, the team’s expectations have been dealt a blow with the news Bosa will not be in the fold the rest of the way.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh‘s unit has thrived early on in his return to the Bay Area. The 49ers rank fourth in total defense and third in yards allowed. San Francisco has only managed five sacks to date, however, with Bosa accounting for two of them. Finding a way to replace his production will prove to be a key storyline for a team still dealing with numerous injuries on offense.
49ers DE Nick Bosa Suffers Knee Injury
The 49ers earned a win on Sunday but their defense suffered a notable blow in the process. Defensive end Nick Bosa went down with a knee injury during the contest and did not return. 
At this point, a clear diagnosis is not in place. The initial fear was an ACL tear, although head coach Kyle Shanahan said (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic) that has been ruled out. Further testing will take place on Monday.
“We can’t rule everything out,” Shanahan added (via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News). “They checked [Bosa’s] ACL and it was good with that. But we have to check on everything.”
That is an encouraging first sign, although Shanahan later clarified an ACL injury other than a tear could still be possible (h/t ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). A serious injury affecting Bosa’s knee would of course be crippling to San Francisco’s defense, a unit which currently ranks third in the NFL in points allowed and fourth for yards surrendered. It would also mark the second time Bosa, 27, has been forced to miss considerable time in a season.
The former Defensive Rookie of the Year was limited to just two games during his second NFL campaign. Bosa managed to remain healthy (largely speaking) since then, however, playing between 14 and 17 games over each of the past four years. The five-time Pro Bowler saw a downturn in production with nine sacks in 2024, but he has already posted two in the early stages of the current campaign.
Adding to that total would help allow for the 49ers’ defense to remain among the league’s best. Without Bosa – who is attached to a $34MM-per-year extension – for a long period, though, San Francisco’s 3-0 start to the campaign would be undone to an extent. Further clarity once follow-up tests take place will be worth watching for during the day.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/25
Here are today’s minor moves and Week 3’s standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jake Curhan, DE Anthony Goodlow
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, LB Carl Jones
- Placed on IR: T Kiran Amegadjie, CB Jaylon Johnson (story)
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: WR Kaden Davis, CB Dom Jones
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: WR Jayden Reed (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: FB Jakob Johnson
- Elevated: CB Myles Bryant, CB D’Angelo Ross
- Placed on IR: CB Jaylin Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: CB Kevin Knowles
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, CB Greedy Vance
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: LB Emany Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, G Henry Byrd
New England Patriots
- Elevated: CB Kobee Minor, LB Mark Robinson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: WR Kevin Austin
- Elevated: DE Fadil Diggs, TE Treyton Welch
- Waived: TE Moliki Matavao
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: OLB Tomon Fox
- Elevated: DT Elijah Garcia, LB Neville Hewitt
- Waived: WR Xavier Gipson
New York Jets
- Elevated: S Dean Clark, QB Brady Cook
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Marcus Epps, TE Cameron Latu
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: RB Trey Sermon
- Placed on IR: G Max Scharping (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: QB Adrian Martinez, WR Malik Turner
- Placed on IR: OL Spencer Burford
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: S Jerrick Reed II
- Elevated: S D’Anthony Bell, RB Jacardia Wright
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: T Tyler McLellan
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: CB Antonio Hamilton
- Released from reserve/retired list: OL Nate Herbig
There were some eyes on whether or not the Browns would add a kicker for the weekend after Andre Szmyt needed to undergo some MRI testing, but no such moves were made and Szmyt heads into the weekend without an injury designation. The team did report a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright, though, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire.
The 49ers will lose some additional offensive line depth as they place their intended swing tackle, Burford, on injured reserve. Additionally, with Martinez not getting signed to the active roster, it appears that injured starter Brock Purdy will not be active as an emergency option, as was rumored a bit yesterday. Purdy should be inactive as a result.
Herbig announced his retirement at the end of July after spending a good portion of the offseason with the Commanders. The 27-year-old was coming off a 2024 season in which he missed the entirety of the year with a shoulder injury. Washington’s release of Herbig from the reserve/retired list gives him an opportunity to sign with a new team as a free agent. There’s no guarantee that he’s headed anywhere specific, but he likely initiated the transaction in order to explore his options.
Mac Jones To Start Week 3; Brock Purdy Potentially Available In Case Of Emergency
Brock Purdy‘s return to practice this week inspired some hope that he could suit up for the 49ers in Week 3, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic) that it is “highly unlikely” he starts on Sunday. Instead, it will be Mac Jones under center in San Francisco against the Cardinals. 
Purdy missed Week 2 due to injuries to his toe and shoulder. The shoulder issue no longer seems to be preventing him from playing, but the fourth-year quarterback practiced in a limited capacity for the last three days as the toe continued to ail him. His comments on Thursday suggested that he could be a game-time decision, depending on how he feels on Sunday.
Instead, it appears that decision will be made on Saturday, when the team is required to make roster decisions like inactives and practice squad elevations. Shanahan indicated that Purdy could still be active as the team’s second- or third-string quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Pelissero’s partner at NFL Network, Ian Rapoport, expanded on that topic, explaining that, while a QB2 role may be a possibility, a QB3 role as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option makes far more sense.
If it’s determined tomorrow that Purdy can’t go or that he can only suit up as an emergency quarterback, practice squad passer Adrian Martinez will, once again, be called on to back up Jones. How they do that will be determined by Purdy’s situation. If Purdy is unable to suit up, Martinez would simply need to be designated a standard gameday practice squad elevation as he was last week. If Purdy suits up with the intention to serve in an emergency role, Martinez would need to be signed to the 53-man roster, since emergency third quarterbacks need to be on the active roster.
In other injury news, two rookies were injured in practice yesterday, per Barrows. While seventh-round guard Connor Colby is only listed as questionable with a groin injury, fourth-round wide receiver Jordan Watkins is reportedly a candidate for injured reserve with a calf injury.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
49ers S Ji’Ayir Brown Addresses Role Change, Potential Trade
Over the course of his first two seasons in the NFL, Ji’Ayir Brown totaled 18 starts at safety. This year has brought about a shift in role and workload, however. 
The 49ers have relied on free agent addition Jason Pinnock and fifth-round rookie Marques Sigle as starters at the safety spot so far. That has left Brown in the ‘big nickel’ role as a hybrid linebacker when on the field. That has proven to be a rare occurrence, though; Brown has logged just nine defensive snaps through two weeks. The demotion to a part-time role was one of the subjects of a recent conversation he had with Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s going to make sense one day,” Brown said when speaking about his position change (one which he views as only a temporary shift). “I’ve been around the game and I have a lot of respect from a lot of safeties around the game. That’s me saying my personal opinion that I’m top five in this league.”
Taken in the third round of the 2023 draft, Brown represented the 49ers’ top selection that year. The Penn State product emerged as a key figure in the secondary during his rookie season, one which included an interception in the team’s eventual Super Bowl loss. Brown logged a full campaign last year, but he played through an ankle injury for much of the season and saw a downturn in performance and PFF evaluation. Now healthy, he finds himself in a backup capacity.
Malik Mustapha is currently rehabbing the ACL tear he suffered during Week 18 last year. As expected, he has yet to be cleared for a return to action. Especially once that takes place, though, the 49ers will have a logjam in place at the safety position. Despite the fact Brown is attached to his rookie contract through 2026, the possibility of a departure via trade was raised as a result.
“I would definitely love to be here, career-wise, for the rest of my career,” Brown said. “But we all know this is a business. And I’m willing to adapt to whatever comes my way… I will be back at safety, eventually, whether it’s here or whether it’s wherever.”
No indications have emerged that a trade is being considered on the part of the 49ers, or that interest has been generated from potential suitors. Still, a move is something Brown would be open to based on his remarks. It will be interesting to see if a return to starting duties takes place or if his lessened workload continues through the remainder of the season.
WR Mohamed Sanu Retires
Mohamed Sanu‘s playing days have officially come to an end. The veteran receiver announced on Friday that he has retired. 
“After 10+ years in the NFL, my playing chapter is closing,” Sanu wrote on X. “Grateful for every coach, teammate & fan. Excited to give back through coaching & share the game in a new way with the Facts Over Stats podcast. The Journey continues.”
Sanu last played a regular season game in 2021, and he very briefly spent time with the Dolphins the following summer. Given the time which has elapsed since, today’s announcement is certainly an unexpected one. Nevertheless, it marks an end to the 36-year-old’s career as a player.
Selected in third round of the 2012 draft, Sanu played out his rookie contract with the Bengals. He established himself as a starting-caliber receiver during that period, something which remained the case during his Falcons tenure (2016-19). In the 2018 campaign, Sanu set a new personal mark with 838 receiving yards; that season also marked the only time one of his eight career pass attempts (four of which resulted in a touchdown) fell incomplete.
After a midseason trade saw him finish the year with the Patriots, the Rutgers product split his time between the 49ers and Lions the following campaign. Sanu saw a downturn in usage and production during that span, and he remained a part-time contributor upon returning to San Francisco for 2021. After being released by the Dolphins in August of 2022, no known visits took place and no further playing opportunities presented themselves.
Multiple years removed from his final playing action in the NFL, Sanu will now officially turn his attention to other pursuits. In all, he played 145 combined regular and postseason games and amassed nearly $32MM in career earnings.