It's almost always a good idea to listen to the advice of 49ers legend Jerry Rice -- especially when he's gone through the exact same thing you've experienced.
San Francisco star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore both his ACL and MCL in the 49ers' 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday, ending his 2024 NFL season.
Rice tore his ACL during Week 1 of the 1997 season but shocked the world when he returned in Week 15 that same season. On Monday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver joined 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" to share the advice he'd give Aiyuk as he endures the adversity of the lengthy recovery process.
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"I think the most important thing is don't rush back -- because I did," Rice said. "I rushed back a little bit because I wanted to be there for the retirement of the greatest quarterback ever, Joe Montana. Then I ended up cracking my patella. And I was right back in surgery. So it was not a very smart move.
"So he's got to give that time to heal and once he feels like he's 100 percent, then get back there on the football field. But an injury like that takes time."
After a career-best season last year, in which he caught 75 passes for a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as the team's leading receiver, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract with San Francisco just before the start of the 2024 season.
He got off to a slow start this season, however, with 47 receptions for 347 yards and zero touchdowns in seven contests before sustaining the season-ending injury Sunday.
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Aiyuk sustained the injury after being squashed by two Chiefs defenders following a 15-yard catch with 37 seconds left in the second quarter. He remained down on the field for several seconds before he was able to walk off the field on his own. He later was carted to the 49ers' locker room before being ruled out of the game.
The 49ers' injuries continue to pile up, with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey working his way back from Achilles tendinitis and Deebo Samuel hospitalized and dealing with pneumonia. They will have to rely on their other offensive playmakers to hold things down if they have any chance of keeping their season alive.