Brandon Aiyuk

San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel confirmed Sunday that the team has given him permission to seek a trade. But his time with the organization is likely over even if such a deal doesn't materialize.

As Albert Breer of SI.com reported Monday, the Niners "could cut him if the right offer doesn't come along, with Brandon Aiyuk now signed long-term and the team's 2024 first-round pick, Ricky Pearsall, having already flashed his potential."

That would be a shocking time to Samuel's end in San Francisco, though as Breer noted, "his injury history, declining production, contract status (with a big, non-guaranteed number for next year, and his contract expiring after that), and San Francisco's depth of investment at the position made the former first-team All-Pro the most logical first piece to move."

The Niners are going to get a lot more expensive once Brock Purdy signs a long-term extension. In many ways, Christian McCaffrey's versatility in the pass and run game has taken away some of Samuel's importance to the team's offense. The Niners have solid options at wideout and a tight end in George Kittle who was fantastic in 2024. There are a lot of mouths to feed, both from a salary and touches perspective.

So the 29-year-old Samuel—who had a down year in 2024, catching 51 passes for 670 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 136 yards and a score in 15 games, despite Aiyuk and McCaffrey missing significant time due to injuries—is the odd man out.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy reportedly suffered a nerve issue in his right elbow late in Monday's 40-34 loss against the Detroit Lions and will undergo further testing on Tuesday, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

He wouldn't commit to Purdy playing in Week 18's regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving open the possibility that Purdy's season is over.

Purdy provided his own update after the game:

Since taking over as San Francisco's starter in the 2022 season, Purdy has largely stayed healthy. He was knocked out of the NFC Championship Game that season with a torn UCL but returned for the start of the 2023 season, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 16 games, ultimately guiding the Niners to the Super Bowl (he was rested in Week 18 with San Francisco assured the top overall seed).

He's largely been healthy this season as well, though he missed Week 12's 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers with soreness in his right shoulder.

Injuries and underachieving have been the prevailing storylines for San Francisco this year, with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year and players like Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel dealing with injuries throughout the campaign.

In the process, the Niners have gone just 6-10 on the season, a far cry from the team that went 12-5 last season and lost in the Super Bowl.

Josh Dobbs relieved Purdy on San Francisco's final drive of the game Monday night and seemingly would be in line to start next week as well, though Kyle Allen would also be a possibility.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, despite their absolute best efforts to give the game away.

San Francisco squeaked by with a 23-20 win, as Jake Moody hit a game-winning field goal as time expired.

The game marked the return of Christian McCaffrey, who had a solid if unspectacular 2024 debut, rushing 13 times for 39 yards while adding six catches for 68 yards.

Fans were just relieved to see him back in action and making an impact:

But the contest also included a San Francisco fumbled punt, three missed field goals by Moody and four defensive penalties on Tampa's game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. It was sloppy football, and fans took notice of that, too:

A win's a win, and the Niners will take it, ugly as it was. But the 5-4 Niners have plenty to clean up as they make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season—how has one of the most dominant teams in the NFL last season been so middling this year?

Some of the answers are obvious. San Francisco has dealt with a ton of injuries. The special teams unit has been incredibly poor. Brock Purdy hasn't been bad, but he also hasn't looked like a player capable of elevating an offense to elite levels on his own.

Other answers are murky. Are the Niners suffering from the hangover of being Super Bowl losers last season? How much of a distraction were the offseason holdouts of Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams? Have teams simply started figuring the Niners out?

However you slice it, this team doesn't have the same feel as the dominant group from a year ago. A late-season surge could change that narrative, and having McCaffrey back will be a major help. But deeper issues appear to be lurking under the surface.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk posted a video to his YouTube channel on Monday, providing an update on his recovery after tearing his ACL and MCL last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I came to give you all a little update on one week, (with) a torn ACL, MCL, messed up meniscus," Aiyuk said Monday (0:27 mark). "Hurting. Hur-ting. Hur-ting. I'm trying to walk around a little bit today, weight-bearing a little bit today, a little bit. But, still scared to put more weight on there.

"Long-ass week. We got a long way to go, but we're still blessed, we're still here."

Aiyuk suffered his injury in the 49ers' 28-18 loss in Week 7 at Levi's Stadium after catching a 15-yard pass from quarterback Brock Purdy and taking a hard hit to the knee from Chiefs safety Chamorri Conner.

Before his injury, Aiyuk had accumulated 374 yards on 25 receptions this season with zero touchdowns for the 49ers.

With surgery on the horizon, Aiyuk has a significant rehabilitation process ahead in the coming months.

"I'm on to another week of treatment, another week of trying to get back right," Aiyuk said. "Surgery soon. But we're just going to keep grinding, man."

The 49ers will be without Aiyuk for the remainder of the season as yet another player joins their injured reserve list.

The team heads into a bye week after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 30-24.

The San Francisco 49ers may feel compelled to act with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk lost for the season, worsening their injury crunch.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Wednesday he "wouldn't be surprised to see the 49ers in the market" for a wideout before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

Graziano and colleague Jeremy Fowler listed off multiple receivers who could be on the trade block, a group that included the New York Jets' Mike Williams, Carolina Panthers' Diontae Johnson, New York Giants' Darius Slayton, Jacksonville Jaguars' Christian Kirk and Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp.

Fowler reported that Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were players that San Francisco "wanted" before getting dealt elsewhere.

Aiyuk had gotten off to a disappointing start (25 catches for 374 yards) before tearing his right ACL and MCL. With Deebo Samuel Sr. dealing with pneumonia, the receiver room is increasingly thin.

Other playoff contenders have been aggressive in addressing their lack of depth at the position. The Kansas City Chiefs are the most recent example, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting they are acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.

San Francisco could soon get a boost in the form of running back Christian McCaffrey, though.

"The people I've talked to with the organization felt good about McCaffrey's chances to start practicing during the Week 9 bye," Fowler reported.

Considering the offense has performed reasonably well despite missing multiple key players for stretches, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch may feel confident enough in the unit as is once you add McCaffrey to the mix.

Following a wave of wide receiver injuries, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he will "look into everything" on the trade market to address the team's receiving corps.

"We try to look into everything regardless," he told reporters on Monday. "Obviously with more issues that came up yesterday, you still want to look into everything, but it has to do with what options are out there with stuff that we can pull off that doesn't totally hurt us, that helps us now and doesn't hurt us for the future."

The 49ers lost Brandon Aiyuk to a torn ACL and MCL during Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Deebo Samuel was hospitalized with pneumonia on Monday, and Jauan Jennings missed the Chiefs game due to a hip injury.

The 49ers currently have 18 players listed as questionable, out or on injured reserve. That has forced Shanahan and the front office to start looking into moves as the Niners aim to get their season back on track.

"There's lots of decisions that go into it," he said. "So, we'll look into everything, but a lot of times that's just kind of living in hope. Those answers aren't always out there. You've got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you've got in your building. And if you ever find something that makes sense, we will never hesitate on it but it's not always available like you hope it is."

Davante Adams and Amari Cooper are off the list of options after both were traded last week. However, DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Williams could be on the table.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is being considered day-to-day with a sprained foot, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It is the latest injury in what has been a rough season for the Niners on that front. This week alone, star wideout Brandon Aiyuk was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, while Deebo Samuel has been hospitalized due to pneumonia and fluid in his lungs.

Meanwhile, star running back Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined with Achilles tendinitis and likely won't return until after the team's Week 9 bye.

Other key players battling injuries or on injured reserve include wideout Jauan Jennings, safety Talanoa Hufanga, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back Elijah Mitchell.

"It sucks," center Jake Brendel told reporters Sunday regarding Aiyuk's injury. "Any injury like that to one of your weapons on offense or defense, it just sucks. I feel like as a roster, we just have to respond. Whoever's next on the roster needs to step up and make sure that there isn't a setback and productivity on offense."

The team's rash of injuries has contributed to a 3-4 start to the season, a major disappointment for one of the preseason title favorites after San Francisco reached the Super Bowl a year ago, falling short against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for the second time in five seasons.

Kittle has been one of the bright spots, leading the Niners in receptions (34) and receiving touchdowns (five) while ranking second in receiving yards (375) behind only Jennings. If the veteran tight end misses the Week 8 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Brock Purdy would be without his four best offensive weapons (and potentially five, if Jennings is also unable to go).

San Francisco's offense is skating on thin ice, in other words, and it's thawing at an alarming pace.

The San Francisco 49ers had their worst fears confirmed on Monday.

Per Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, tests determined that 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was initially feared that he had suffered a torn ACL, head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Aiyuk actually tore both his ACL and MCL.

Aiyuk's teammate Deebo Samuel posted a message on Instagram for him after his diagnosis was revealed:

Aiyuk recorded two catches for 23 yards before suffering the injury in the first half of Sunday's Super Bowl rematch between San Francisco and Kansas City. He was examined in the blue medical tent before being carted back to the locker room.

Aiyuk ends his 2024 season with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns. His average of 53.4 yards per game ranked fourth on the 49ers.

The season-ending injury comes after a tumultuous summer that saw Aiyuk hold out for the entirety of training camp over his desire for a new contract. He was rumored to be on the verge of being traded before he ultimately agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension that put him among the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

Losing Aiyuk for the remainder of the year leaves the 49ers without yet another key offensive player. San Francisco has been without star running back Christian McCaffrey for the entirety of the 2024 season due to bilateral Achilles tendonitis.

Without Aiyuk, the 49ers will rely on Samuel and tight end George Kittle to lead the passing attack. However, Shanahan said Monday that Samuel is hospitalized with fluid in his lungs. Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in the chest during an alleged attempted robbery this past summer, made his NFL debut in Sunday's game.

After falling to 3-4 with the loss to Kansas City, San Francisco will try to bounce back when it faces the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) on Sunday Night Football.