SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Less than 24 hours after wide receiver Brandon Iuk injured his right knee against the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers got the bad news they were hoping for.
Ayuk suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee that will require surgery and end his 2024 season after seven games, coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday.
Shanahan also announced that wide receiver Tebow Samuel Sr. is in the hospital with pneumonia. Samuel has some fluid in his lungs and was struggling to breathe during Sunday’s game. There is no timetable for his return.
Ayuk’s injury occurred with 48 seconds left in the second quarter. Quarterback Brock Purdy squeezed a pass between Kansas City defensive backs Samarry Conner and Trent McDuffie for a 15-yard gain. When Connor and McDuffie got together in Ayuk, his knee hyperextended.
Niners medical personnel immediately rushed to the field to attend to Ayuk, who stayed down for a couple of minutes before slowly making his way to the sideline and the blue medical tent. He was quickly carted off to the locker room and ruled out returning to the game to open the third quarter.
Ayuk had two catches for 23 yards at the time of the injury amid a relatively slow start to the season. With his season over, Ayuck will fall short of 1,000 receiving yards for the third straight year. He had 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a second-team All-Pro nod last year.
The Niners signed Iuk to a $120 million extension in August after an extended contract dispute. He has 25 catches for 374 yards and no scores this season.
Aiyuk’s ACL is the latest in a long list of injuries to key 49ers. Other key Niners who will sit out significant time include running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles tendinitis), linebacker Trey Greenlaw (torn Achilles), defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (torn triceps) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (torn ligaments in his wrist). .
“It sucks,” center Jake Brendel said Sunday. “When one of the weapons on offense or defense gets hurt like that, it’s too bad. I feel like a list, we have to respond. The next one on the list has to step up and make sure there’s nothing. Resilience and productivity on offense.”
