President of football operations/general manager John Lynch offered up injury updates on a trio of playmakers during his press conference at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indy.
Left tackle Trent Williams, running back Christian McCaffrey, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk all dealt with season-ending injuries over the course of the 2024 campaign, and, early in the offseason, all appear to be making strides towards recovery.
Williams, set to enter his 15th season in the league (14th playing), missed the last seven games of the year with an ankle injury.
"Trent's playing and he's ready. I think he's really motivated to come back," Lynch said. "That's rarefied air that Trent lives in, and when you're a player that has experience playing at those heights, you don't want to play unless you're playing at that level. I think that's where Trent's at. I think we're going to see a real motivated Trent Williams come back and have a great year, and that's a good thing for us."
McCaffrey, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, dealt with Achilles tendonitis during training camp that landed him on the Injured Reserve list before the season opener. He was able to rejoin the team in Week 10 to open up the second half of the year before suffering a knee injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 that shut him down for the remainder of the year.
"He's doing great. Christian's doing really well, and I think he was really frustrated with the way last season went," Lynch noted. "(He's) doing everything that is possible, as he did in preparation for last year. We're hoping CMC is out there and going to have a tremendous year. If he is healthy, he will have a tremendous year. That's just what he does."
He later added that McCaffrey is expected to be ready for at least a portion of the offseason workout program.
Lynch rounded out his injury news with some insight into Aiyuk's recovery timeline. The wide receiver suffered a significant injury to his knee in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, tearing his ACL, MCL, and other ligaments.
"He's doing well," Lynch reported. "I know coming up here in a couple weeks... There's kind of a big marker coming up. I know that anecdotally, he's doing really well. Our trainers who have been with him say he's doing very well. He's putting in the work, that's what you have to do. And, like I've always said, the real top-end athletes tend to heal a little faster, and I think that's going on with Brandon."
