McCaffrey's late back issue raises questions, while Aiyuk's season-ending move on reserve/left squad list signals a dramatic offseason ahead for the Niners.
The San Francisco 49ers had two notable injury storylines pop up on Saturday afternoon.
For starters, Christian McCaffrey was added to the injury report for Sunday’s game against the Titans as questionable with a back issue. What makes that interesting is he didn’t have an injury designation all week. From a physical health standpoint, he looked good to go. He did rest on Wednesday, was limited on Thursday because he was sick, then was a full participant on Friday with no indication anything injury-related was going on. With that in mind, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported shortly after the designation popped up that McCaffrey is expected to be good to go.
And on Friday, coach Kyle Shanahan even said McCaffrey was looking good. So with a 2-11 opponent coming to town, the expectation is still that McCaffrey plays. But it’s something to monitor in terms of snap count and workload. If the game gets out of hand early, don’t be surprised if Brian Robinson Jr. takes over earlier than expected.
Maybe the more significant news, though, even if it wasn’t totally unexpected, is Brandon Aiyuk was officially placed on the reserve/left squad list, which makes him ineligible to play for the rest of the year. Aiyuk hasn’t been around in recent weeks and there’s been no shortage of drama around his future, but this effectively closes the door on any late-season return from the major knee injury he suffered in 2024 after signing his big extension. It also keeps the offseason spotlight blazing, with reports noting the team has already voided guaranteed money in his 2026 contract, setting the stage for even more contract and trade-request fallout.