Before the 2024 season started, the San Francisco 49ers gave wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who had been holding in for a new deal, a four-year, $120 million extension, that made him one of the highest paid players in the league at his position.

However, after just seven games and 25 receptions for 374 yards, Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs, ending his season and putting the start of his 2025 campaign in jeopardy.

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With San Francisco also trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round selection (used on Oregon running back Jordan James) in the 2025 NFL draft, Aiyuk’s recovery is very important for the team’s immediate success.

Late last week, 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and gave a positive update on Aiyuk’s rehab process as organized team activities came to a close.

“Brandon’s doing a tremendous job coming back,” Lynch said. “These guys that are incredibly skilled athletes, they tend to heal a lot faster. It’s kind of incredible how well he’s healing, and he’s putting in the work. We’re proud of Brandon, and we’re looking forward to him being part of this team moving forward. We made a big investment in him. We’re proud to have him part of our franchise, and looking for big things from him. And we’re gonna let him get right before we get him back on that field. But he’s an important part of this team.”

Aiyuk’s been one of the best receivers in the league since San Francisco took him in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft out of Arizona State. In 69 career games over five years, he’s caught 294 passes for 4,305 yards and 25 touchdowns while being the team’s second or third target, behind Samuel and tight end George Kittle.

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If he’s not good to go for Week 1, recently-extended quarterback Brock Purdy could be stepping on the field with Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson and Jacob Cowing as his top four wideouts. That’s not exactly ideal for a team that’s looking to crawl out of the basement of their division and make it back to the postseason in 2025.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ John Lynch speaks glowingly about Brandon Aiyuk’s ACL rehab