You know who could help the San Francisco 49ers right now with all the wide receiver injuries?
Brandon Aiyuk.
All other things being equal (of course, they can’t be, at any rate), head coach Kyle Shanahan would love to have a man coverage-beating separation artist like Aiyuk to complement the 50-50 presence of future Hall of Famer Mike Evans.
While Ricky Pearsall, De’Jhaun Stribling, Christian Kirk, DeMarcus Robinson and now even Deebo Samuel are dealing with injuries of various lengths, having someone like Aiyuk back on the field could have been beneficial.
Except that the proverbial ship has sailed.
However, this was not necessary.
Brandon Aiyuk’s pride got in the way of helping the 49ers (and himself)
Much has been said about Aiyuk’s dramatic decline with the Niners last season. There is no need to repeat this again (although you may get stuck here).
Both the receiver and the franchise vowed to never get together again. Yet everyone always loves a redemption story in which two parties make things up and let bygones be bygones. Once Aiyuk learned that no team was going to trade with San Francisco to obtain his services, he could simply approach Shanahan and general manager John Lynch and ask how to move things forward.
Then, it’s too late for that. But, given the 49ers’ deficits to this point, there’s no doubt that Aiyuk would have had a significant role in Shanahan’s offense, landing him in a position where he would have a chance to fully revive his career after not stepping on the field since an injury in 2024.
However, Aiyuk did not take that route. Now, the Niners have been forced to call up veteran receivers like Brandin Cooks, while rumors are rife that Lynch could be brainstorming about potential trades to replenish their receiver cabinet.
This is an important “what if?” The scenario is ongoing. What if Aiyuk gave up his pride and approached Lynch and Shanahan to come back in good graces? What if he showed a professional demeanor on social media instead of the seemingly endless esoteric rants that tarnished his reputation during the offseason?
What if he never fainted after the injury?
“What if?” The sad thing about the scenarios is that they are ultimately untrue. They don’t exist, just like Aiyuk’s redemption arc.
If he had made different choices during the last year, he would have been in a prime position to revive his career.
Instead, he lost. big time.
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