The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 35-13 on Sunday, but the win came at a cost at wide receiver, one of several injuries piling up at the position this season. Naturally, that led to a question about a familiar name.
Shanahan’s One-Word Answer on Aiyuk
Asked postgame whether San Francisco would consider bringing back Brandon Aiyuk given the team’s wide receiver injuries, Shanahan gave a blunt response. “No,” he said, according to The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami.
The answer wasn’t much of a surprise given how things have unfolded between the two sides. Aiyuk hasn’t played since tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus against the Chiefs back in October 2024, and he’s been on the reserve/left squad list since Dec. 13, 2025. General manager John Lynch confirmed in August that nothing had changed on that front, meaning Aiyuk would need to formally apply for reinstatement before any return could even be discussed. San Francisco also voided $27 million in 2026 guarantees after Aiyuk missed required rehab sessions, and Lynch said the team owes him nothing as a result. Aiyuk, for his part, said this summer he has no plans to reinstate with the 49ers or do any further business with them. Both sides have effectively said no at this point, leaving a receiver still under contract through 2028 without a real path back to the field in San Francisco.
“No”
49ers’ Growing Wide Receiver Problem
The Aiyuk question came up for good reason. San Francisco’s receiver room has taken hit after hit this season. Ricky Pearsall is out for the year after knee surgery. Christian Kirk has been on injured reserve since the opening day of training camp and isn’t eligible to return until Week 5. Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling is expected to miss roughly 10 weeks after a Week 1 ankle injury. And during Sunday’s win, Demarcus Robinson was carted off with what Shanahan described as looking like a high ankle sprain. Mike Evans also left the game with a hip issue.
Shanahan didn’t sound overly alarmed about Robinson specifically. “No, it didn’t,” he said when asked if the injury looked serious. “It can always change tomorrow, but if the game was different, he would’ve been able to come back in.”
49ers Plan to Address the Position
The broader picture is still concerning. Evans and Deebo Samuel are both on the wrong side of 30. The depth behind them now consists of Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing and KhaDarel Hodge. Rookies Wesley Grimes and Will Pauling sit on the practice squad as potential call-up options. Shanahan acknowledged the team will likely need to add someone soon.
“We’ll see,” Shanahan said. “It has been unfortunate. It was big losing Stribling last week. You guys know how big it was losing Ricky over the summer. And then losing D-Rob today was huge. Christian Kirk’s got a couple of weeks before he can come back. I’m sure we’ll have to add somebody, whether it’s to the practice squad or to the roster. We’ll start discussing tonight, and hopefully have an answer by Wednesday.”
Aiyuk clearly isn’t part of that plan, even with the mounting need. San Francisco’s offense held up fine without him Sunday. Brock Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Drops Blunt 1-Word Answer on Brandon Aiyuk