49ers injury history timeline: How health issues with Brock Purdy, Fred Warner and more is a recurring problem
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the NFL’s most successful franchises, but they’ve also been one of the unluckiest.
San Francisco’s 2025 NFL season continued an alarming trend of years in which the roster was greatly impacted by injuries. Quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle went down with injuries in Week 1, causing each to miss time before the franchise returned to the Bay for its home opener.
Other key players to miss time include wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, while star linebacker Fred Warner was carted off the field in Week 6.
Here is a closer look at the 49ers’ injuries, how the team has been impacted in comparison to other NFL franchises and a year-by-year timeline of absences to key players.
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Are the 49ers the most injured team?The 49ers have been one of the NFL’s most injured teams for several years running.
San Francisco has been a top-10 most-injured team in six of seven seasons between 2018 and 2024, with the lone exception being the 2023 season. In 2023, a healthier 49ers squad advanced to play in Super Bowl 57.
49ers health by season:
2024: #1 most injured
2023: #29 most injured â—„ 12-5, lost SB
2022: #9 most injured â—„ 13-4, lost NFCCG
2021: #3 most injured
2020: #1 most injured
2019: #6 most injured â—„ 13-3, lost SB
2018: #4 most injured https://t.co/VV3IiQ1Qjn
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 7, 2025MORE: Who is on the Mount Rushmore of Bay Area sports?
49ers injury timeline by season2025Notable injuries:Â
QB Brock Purdy suffers toe, shoulder injuries in Week 1TE George Kittle placed on four-week IR with hamstring injuryDE Nick Bosa placed on season-ending IR with torn ACLLB Fred Warner carted off field in Week 6WR Jauan Jennings playing with broken ribs, multiple ankle sprainsInjuries impacted the 49ers before the season began and continued to impact the team as it got underway. WR Brandon Aiyuk and S Malik Mustapha both began the 2025 season on the PUP list with serious knee injuries, and they were joined on the sidelines by other key players along the way.
QB Brock Purdy and TE George Kittle both sustained injuries in Week 1, with Purdy missing multiple games and Kittle being placed on IR. In Week 3, DE Nick Bosa suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Two key wide receivers, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, also missed multiple games early in the season.
In Week 6, veteran linebacker Fred Warner had to be carted off the field in an air cast in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the same week, after the loss, wide receiver Jauan Jennings told the media that he is playing with not only broken ribs, but also both high and low ankle sprains.Â
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2024, No. 1 most injured team Notable injuries:Â
RB Christian McCaffery: 13Â games missedWR Brandon Aiyuk: 10 games missedP Mitch Wishnowsky: 8 games missedOT Trent Williams: 6 games misssedRB Jordan Mason: 5 games missedRunning back Christian McCaffrey’s Achilles injury was the cloud that loomed large over the 49ers’ season in 2024. McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season, while Aiyuk, RB Jordan Mason, OT Trent Williams and P Mitch Wishnowsky also missed time.
San Francisco finished with a 6-11 record and missed the postseason.
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2023, No. 29 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
WR Jauan Jennings: 4 games missedOne of the healthiest seasons in recent years for the Niners is also the most successful. San Francisco won 12 games and advanced to Super Bowl 57 before suffering a three-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Most key players were available throughout the season, with select players resting near the end of the year. WR Jauan Jennings is the most notable player to miss a chunk of time, as he played in 13 of 17 games.
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2022, No. 9 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
WR Jordan Matthews:Â 17 games missed (season-ending IR)QB Trey Lance: 15 games missedQB Jimmy Garoppolo: 5 games missedIn 2022, San Francisco was among the 10 most-injured teams in the NFL. Despite that, the 49ers won 13 games and advanced to the NFC Championship, where the attrition proved too much to overcome.
It is worth mentioning that the Niners did lose four of their first seven games before ending the season on a 10-game win streak. Notably, QB Trey Lance was placed on season-ending IR with an ankle injury and was replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo.Â
Garoppolo suffered an injury in Week 13, paving the way for a rookie Brock Purdy to emerge. In a cruel twist of fate, Purdy was knocked out of the NFC Championship with a torn UCL in his throwing elbow.
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2021, No. 3 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
RB Raheem Mostert: 16 games missedCB Jason Verrett: 16 games missedLB Dre Greenlaw:Â 14 games missedDT Javon Kinlaw: 13 games missedWR Mohamed Sanu: 8 games missedThe 49ers overcame a 3-5 start in 2021 to finish with a 10-7 record and advance to the postseason. That said, they were among the most-injured teams in the league, with multiple key players missing over 10 games.
In the season opener, RB Raheem Mostert suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener, and LB Dre Greenlaw suffered a groin injury that required surgery. DT Javon Kinlaw addressed a nagging knee injury with season-ending surgery.
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2020, No. 1 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
DE Nick Bosa: 15 games missedDE Solomon Thomas: 15 games missedCB Richard Sherman: 12 games missedQB Jimmy Garoppolo: 11 games missedTE George Kittle: 9 games missedRB Raheem Mostert: 9 games missedThe 2020 season was a nightmare campaign for San Francisco as it finished with a 6-10 record and saw 18 players go on season-ending IR at different points of the season.
Among the players whose season ended with an injury were Bosa, Garoppolo, Williams and Solomon Thomas.
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2019, No. 6 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
RB Jerick McKinnon: 16Â games missedWR Trent Taylor: 16Â games missedTE Garrett Celek: 11Â games missedLB Kwon Alexander: 8Â games missedWR Marquise Goodwin: 7 games missedDespite over 15 players spending time on injured reserve during the season, the 49ers finished with a 13-3 record and advanced to Super Bowl 54. That said, the list of players limited by injury is exhausting.
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2018, No. 4 most injured teamNotable injuries:Â
RB Jerick McKinnon: 16Â games missedQB Jimmy Garoppolo: 14Â games missedWR Pierre Garcon: 8 games missedRB Raheem Mostert: 7 games missedThe 49ers were the fourth most-injured team in 2018 and, as a result, finished with a 4-12 record.
San Francisco was plagued by season-ending afflictions, namely ACL tears suffered by McKinnon in training camp and Garoppolo in Week 3 of the season.
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Why are 49ers so injury prone?San Francisco has run into injury misfortune year after year, but it can be attributed to just that: misfortune.
A wide range of injuries has impacted 49ers players at all positions. It is hard to point a finger at any specific cause, as turf toe injuries, ACL tears, Achilles tendon issues and hamstring injuries can be a result of many things.
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Have 49ers made training staff changes?The Niners have made training staff changes over the past few years, hiring Dustin Little as the new head athletic trainer in 2019.
In 2023, San Francisco added a pair of assistant athletic trainers, including physical therapist Jonathan Dickey. The other new assistant athletic trainer is Katie Carden.
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