49ers Lose Two Star Players in Key Clash Against Chiefs

Getty San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk

The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with incessant injury issues, and it doensn’t seem to be getting any better in Week 7.

During the October 20 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, the 49ers lost two of their star weapons in WRs Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. For Samuel, it’s not a major issue has he deals with illness. For Aiyuk, it could be a brutal long-term knee injury.

Samuel entered the game with an illness but elected to play through it. While he did suit up and hit the field, he did not register any stats and eventually went into the locker room and was ruled out.

Aiyuk’s injury came on his second catch of the game. After making the grab, the 2023 Pro Bowler was sandwiched in a tackle by Chiefs DBs Trent McDuffie and Chamarri Conner. There is clearly no ill intentions in the tackle, but the collision is a nasty one.

Warning: the video below depicts the injury. The severity is not clear, but Aiyuk’s leg clearly bends in the wrong direction.

It’s just the latest bad news after a season chock full of players getting taken out. It happening in a game that the 49ers really want to win only adds insult to injury.

Aiyuk Was Trying to Kickstart Season

Before the injury, it had been a hectic year for Aiyuk. After an offseason filled with trade rumors and speculation about an extension, he held out for a new deal during training camp and the preseason.

While he was successful and received a four-year, $120 million deal, the production has been lacking. The former Arizona State star had totaled 351 yards in six games coming up to Week 7.

He has had just one game with over 100 receiving yards and has had three drops. For context, Aiyuk dropped just two passes over 16 games in the 2023 season. Aiyuk dropped balls much more frequently before 2023 (16 in 46 games), but it’s not good to see regression in that area.

Now, the 26-year-old could be facing a long recovery from this knee injury. His health is most important, but the juxtaposition of his new contract with an underwhelming, injury-plagued season is not a positive one.

49ers WR Making Business Decision?

With Deebo Samuel being declared active despite the illness, it was initially thought to be a minor issue. However, he never really hit the field and was back in street clothes by the second half.

Considering that The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini recently named Samuel a trade deadline candidate to watch, it’s interesting timing.

This is not saying that Samuel did decide not to play with that context in mind. But the deadline is less than three weeks away on November 5. If San Francisco is shopping Samuel or if he wants out, not playing in the Week 7 contest could be a factor.

With that said, Samuel is a known competitor and doesn’t seem like the type of player to purposefully avoid a big game against the Chiefs. But with Week 7 in mind, the final days of the NFL trade window will be something to monitor.