49ers To Sign WR Chris Conley
Chris Conley will have an opportunity to earn a roster spot for a fifth team soon. After visiting San Francisco late last week, the veteran wide receiver agreed to terms with the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This is a one-year agreement. It will mark Conley’s first trip out of the AFC. While still best known for his time with the Chiefs, the 2015 third-round pick has since nearly completed the AFC South cycle. Over the past four seasons, Conley played for the Jaguars, Texans and Titans. Both Conley and Laquon Treadwell worked out for the 49ers last week.
An auxiliary pass catcher in the Chiefs’ Alex Smith– and Patrick Mahomes-led offenses, Conley put together his best season with the Jags in 2019. Given a two-year, $4.6MM deal that offseason, the 6-foot-3 wideout showed viability without Andy Reid‘s assistance by catching 47 catches for 775 yards and five touchdowns for the Gardner Minshew-piloted Jacksonville offense. Conley, 30, has since bounced around the league, making it less than a lock he will be part of the 49ers’ 53-man roster come September.
The Georgia alum spent last year with three teams, moving from Houston to Kansas City and Tennessee. Conley’s Chiefs return did not produce any game action, and he caught four passes in seven games with the receiver-depleted Titans. Conley did eclipse 300 receiving yards for the 2021 Texans, however.
Beyond their Deebo Samuel–Brandon Aiyuk duo, the 49ers have Jauan Jennings on an ERFA tender and former third-round pick Danny Gray going into his second season. Gray caught just one pass as a rookie, but the team obviously still has the ex-SMU speedster in its plans.
NFC Draft Rumors: Bucs, Commanders, 49ers, Seahawks
Every year, pundits and analysts debate the value of drafting a running back in first round. The Buccaneers are the latest to enter into this forum as they are reportedly considering doing just that, according to Buccaneers staff writer/reporter Brianna Dix.
The player in question for Tampa Bay is Texas running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson is far and away the consensus top running back on the board. In three years with the Longhorns, Robinson totaled 3,410 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. While not his main mode of attack, he can hurt in the passing game as well, as evidenced by his 60 catches for 805 yards and eight touchdowns over his collegiate career.
No running backs were taken in the first round of last year’s draft, with Breece Hall being the first off the board in the second round, but two years ago, we saw two running backs taken on Day 1. Despite durability being a main cause of concern for rookie rushers, Najee Harris rewarded the Steelers with a league-leading 381 touches and a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie. Travis Etienne unfortunately had to sit out his rookie season, but his debut season with the Jaguars in 2022 was nearly as impressive as Harris’s rookie year, despite only starting 12 games.
Beyond last year, we’ve seen the Chiefs move past Clyde Edwards-Helaire in favor seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco. We’ve seen a first-team All-Pro honor for Josh Jacobs in Las Vegas. We’ve seen the rollercoasters of Saquon Barkley and Sony Michel‘s careers, as well as the disappointment of Rashaad Penny‘s. The debate continues on into 2023. There has certainly been both hits and misses with first-round running backs, but where will Robinson fall in that storyline?
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFC:
- The Commanders have made it clear that they believe in second-year quarterback Sam Howell to take over the starting job in 2023, leading many to believe that taking a passer on Day 1 is off the table. According to ESPN’s John Keim, though, if a strong prospect like Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is still available in the second or third round, Washington may not be able to pass them up. For the first round, though, it appears that the team has done their homework on the 2023 NFL Draft’s batch of offensive linemen. Jordan Reid, also of ESPN, specifically mentions Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones as a name that has been linked to the Commanders.
- The 49ers received a healthy amount of compensatory draft picks, including three third round picks. It’s a good thing, too, because without them, San Francisco’s first 2023 draft pick wouldn’t come until late in the fifth round. Surprisingly, despite needs at both offensive line and defensive back, Matt Miller of ESPN is hearing that the 49ers have done more work studying tight ends that any other team in the league. The team has lauded the depth of this year’s draft class, and Miller notes that this is a historically great tight end class. He mentions Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker, South Dakota’s Tucker Kraft, and Old Dominion’s Zack Kuntz as potential options for San Francisco at the end of Day 2 who could end up working with George Kittle in the tight end room.
- The Seahawks can go in a couple of different directions in the first round with both the No. 5 and 20 picks. They may keep their eyes on the available quarterbacks, if they fall in love with any, to sit for a year or so behind Geno Smith and Drew Lock. What Miller really sees them doing is taking advantage of a potential early run of quarterbacks to nab one of the draft’s top defensive linemen like Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia’s Jalen Carter. If they don’t like any of their options at defensive line either, Miller reports that Seattle is reportedly in love with Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
49ers To Re-Sign DE Kerry Hyder
Three of Nick Bosa‘s sidekicks left early in free agency. Samson Ebukam (Colts), Charles Omenihu (Chiefs) and Jordan Willis (Raiders) departing left some needs up front for the 49ers. But the defending NFC West champions will keep another of their supporting-cast pass rushers.
Kerry Hyder reached an agreement Friday to stay in San Francisco, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The team will make another bet on the soon-to-be 32-year-old edge defender, who has now signed three 49ers contracts in four years.
The former Lions UDFA put together one of the best seasons of his career in 2020, producing during a season when Bosa went down in Week 2. Hyder racked up 8.5 sacks that year and parlayed that into a three-year, $16.5MM Seahawks deal. Seattle ended up cutting bait after Hyder’s one-sack 2021, leading him back to the Bay Area. Although Hyder registered just one sack last season, the 49ers will bring him back.
While Hyder production has been scarce since 2020, he has been fairly durable. The 275-pound auxiliary rusher has not missed more than two games in a season since 2018. With Ebukam, Omenihu and Willis moving on, there might be more snaps available for Hyder on the Bosa- and Arik Armstead-led defensive line. After totaling 721 defensive snaps in 2020, Hyder’s San Francisco return involved just 356 in 16 games. Hyder, however, played inside more often; his return to the 49ers’ 53-man roster would provide some more flexibility for new DC Steve Wilks and well-regarded D-line coach Kris Kocurek.
San Francisco probably still could use help on the edge. Hyder and a flier on ex-Raiders top-five pick Clelin Ferrell represent the most notable D-end investments in the wake of the Ebukam and Omenihu departures. Of course, the 49ers devoted extensive funds to their defensive interior by giving Javon Hargrave a four-year, $84MM deal to work with Bosa and Armstead. The team also has 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson in place as a potential fourth starter. Hyder, who also compiled eight sacks with the Lions in 2016, will likely vie for a backup gig.
NFL Workout Notes: Moore, Cards, 49ers
After a career year in Houston, wide receiver Chris Moore is seeking a new contract for 2023. The veteran looked at a division rival, visiting the Titans yesterday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Moore spent the first five years of his career with the Ravens, having his best offensive season with Baltimore in 2017 when he caught 18 balls for 248 yards and three touchdowns. His role diminished over time until he found himself contributing mostly on special teams. He returned to a role on offense with the Texans while still serving as a core special teamer. Over his two years in Houston, Moore has had two games over 100 receiving yards and several other strong contributions en route to 96 receptions for 775 yards and four touchdowns.
In Tennessee, Moore would be joining an extremely thin wide receiving corps that currently consists of Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kyle Philips, Racey McMath, Reggie Roberson, and Mason Kinsey. He would likely slot in as a starter at WR2 or WR3 and could still provide for the Titans on special teams.
Here are a few more workouts from around the league:
- The Cardinals have hosted a number of workouts this week, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Yesterday, the team worked out former Bengals tight end Drew Sample. Sample missed all but two games last season with a knee injury but could provide some depth behind Zach Ertz and Trey McBride. Today, Arizona worked out another former Bengal in quarterback Jeff Driskel. Driskel has been a career backup but has started 11 games over his career in Cincinnati, Detroit, Denver, and Houston. Driskel would add some depth at quarterback as Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy both attempt to recover from injuries this offseason. The only other passer currently on the roster is David Blough.
- The 49ers hosted a veteran wide receiver today, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Just one year removed from his strongest NFL season to date, Laquon Treadwell visited San Francisco as the potential fifth team in his NFL career. Treadwell looks to join a talented wide receivers room that currently contains Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Ray-Ray McCloud.
49ers GM John Lynch Confident In Nick Bosa Extension; No Deal Imminent
As has been the case on several occasions in recent years, the 49ers have a major extension to attend to this offseason. Nick Bosa remains eligible for a new deal, one which has the chance to be historic for defensive players in its size. 
The 2019 second overall pick is set to earn just under $17.9MM in 2023 on the fifth-year option, but that figure will comfortably be eclipsed on his second contract. Coming off a campaign in which he led the league in sacks, the Defensive Player of the Year could become the NFL’s top paid defender with an extension. That should be expected to be finalized this offseason, though a firm timeline is not currently in place.
“He’s training. He’s doing what Nick Bosa does,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the annual league meetings, “and we’re going to address his contract at some point. I know that it will take persistence, it will take patience, all the things I said before” (h/t Rohan Chakravarthi of 49erswebzone.com).
Last offseason, Lynch made it clear that multi-year deals for both Bosa and wideout Deebo Samuel had been budgeted for. In the latter’s case, contract talks broke down to the point that Samuel requested a trade, something the team never gave serious consideration to. In the end, the sides agreed on a three-year, $71.5MM deal in the summer to keep him in the Bay Area as a key part of the team’s nucleus.
A Bosa extension will likely be notably more lucrative. The 25-year-old has racked up 43 sacks in 51 career games, adding eight forced fumbles and 56 tackles for loss in that span. Rebounding from his injury-shortened 2020 campaign, the three-time Pro Bowler has remained healthy for the past two seasons, helping the 49ers enjoy consecutive trips to the NFC title game.
“He’s a really good player who’s going to get everything that he’s earned and deserves, and I do like our track record of getting [extensions] done,” Lynch said, adding on the subject of a potential timeline that, “they don’t come as quick as you’d like sometimes… And this one, I don’t know where that would be. I don’t think that has to be the case, but we’ll see where it goes.”
The NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher is Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, who averages $28MM per year on his current deal. Amongst all defensive players, that figure trails only Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ($31.6MM). Bosa could command a deal outpacing each of those players given his age and production, and a turbulent negotiating period certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented for the 49ers. Given Lynch’s remarks, though, a monster deal coming together in the near future would come as little surprise.
Latest On 49ers’ QB Situation
The 49ers view Brock Purdy as their optimal starter — when he’s healthy. As it will be a while before that is the case, the team has a backup plan. That might end up needing to carry over into the regular season.
Hopes Purdy can return in time for training camp may not be realistic. After John Lynch presented a more optimistic Purdy outlook, Kyle Shanahan brought up the initial timetable — a six-month rehab period — and added that the breakthrough passer may not be fully ready to go until October.
“I think it can go anywhere from six months to eight months, so it’s all open like that,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebZone.com’s David Bonilla. I think we’ll have a better idea … they say at three months out of surgery, they have a better idea whether it’s going to be six months or eight months. So I don’t know.
“It might be Week 1. I think I’m hearing, at the latest, Week 4. But that’s just all estimations, and we’ll see what happens.”
It is premature to suggest Purdy will not be ready in time to start the season, but this is the first time a 49ers official has said last year’s Mr. Irrelevant might not be ready to play until potentially October. That leaves the door open for Trey Lance, but while the third-year passer is expected to be ready for OTAs, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link) Lance’s career arc points to Sam Darnold being the likely 49ers Week 1 starter.
A scenario in which Darnold opens the season as San Francisco’s starter would both represent another setback for Lance and open the door to more questions regarding this job, given Darnold’s draft pedigree (No. 3 overall in 2018) and experience advantage on Purdy. If Darnold is taking the snaps for the 49ers to start the season, will Lance be on the roster?
Both Shanahan and 49ers CEO Jed York defended the Lance maneuver — a trade-up that cost the 49ers their 2022 and ’23 first-rounders — this week, and the seventh-year HC said he wants to have Lance, Purdy and Darnold on the 53-man roster. The 49ers ran into historic injury trouble at quarterback last season, with Lance’s fractured ankle — which required two surgeries — starting that run of setbacks. As a result, Shanahan expects Lance to have a more difficult road to win this year’s starting job — after the team essentially handed it to him in 2022.
“I think it’s going to be harder for him, too,” Shanahan said of Lance moving back to first-string duty after missing 15 games last season. “I mean, Brock played in eight games, and Trey had that job going into last season. And if he would have played eight games like that, no one else would have been able to come in and beat him out. But with Brock being hurt, it does open [things] up, and it does give him a chance.”
Quarterback injury issues overshadowed four of the past five 49ers seasons, and Jimmy Garoppolo trade rumors hovered over the 2022 offseason. But the next several months present ingredients, especially with Darnold now in the mix, for the Shanahan-era Niners’ most complicated stretch at the position.
49ers Aiming For Brock Purdy To Stay In QB1 Role; Trey Lance Still In Team’s Plans
Before Brock Purdy‘s elbow injury, he was ticketed to be the 49ers’ clear-cut starter heading into the offseason program. Purdy’s UCL tear injected some uncertainty into this situation, but John Lynch still views last year’s Mr. Irrelevant as being ahead of the two former top-five picks on San Francisco’s roster.
Purdy’s stretch-run showing earned him the right to be the frontrunner for the 2023 starting job, Lynch said at the league meetings. The team has its 2022 Week 1 starter, Trey Lance, coming off ankle surgery and just signed Sam Darnold. But if all three are healthy at training camp, it will be Purdy opening with the 1s.
“I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he’s probably the leader in the clubhouse at that,” Lynch said, via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. “I’ll let Kyle [Shanahan] make those kinds of decisions. But I know when we talk, Brock has probably earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he’d probably take that first snap.”
Lance and Darnold will be healthy going into OTAs, though the former is coming off two surgeries to repair a fractured ankle. Purdy may not receive full clearance until September, which helped lead Darnold to San Francisco. Purdy, however, avoided Tommy John surgery and is expected to be ready to throw in early June, Branch adds. The second-year QB will undoubtedly be sidelined for San Francisco’s offseason program, but Lynch said the hope is he will be ready to go by training camp. That might be on the ambitious side, and if Purdy does return by the start of camp, all eyes will be on his form.
Lynch was careful to mention Lance is not out of the competition. The former No. 3 overall pick is slated to count $9.3MM against the 49ers’ cap this season. He has made four career starts and has finished just three games, submitting uneven work. The one-year North Dakota State starter may come up in trade rumors this offseason, with Darnold’s presence not guaranteeing Lance the 49ers’ backup job. How this offseason program unfolds may help determine Lance’s future.
“We like Trey on our team right now,” Lynch said when asked about Lance trade possibilities. “We always joke, Kyle and I, that we’d trade each other if someone would give us a good enough deal. So we listen to anything, but we like Trey on our team. We’re very excited about the way he’s progressing, about his opportunity. I think he’s chomping at the bit to get out there, get back under center and be healthy again.”
The 49ers, who sent the Dolphins two future first-round picks to move up to No. 3 for Lance in 2021, would be hit with just more than $5MM in dead money if they traded the third-year passer after June 1. They would obviously not receive close to the value they paid to draft the dual-threat talent; a sell-low trade here would close the book on a massive organizational draft blunder. But the team is still moving forward with its Purdy-Lance setup, with Darnold now in the mix as a much cheaper option compared to Jimmy Garoppolo.
49ers To Pick Up Brandon Aiyuk’s Fifth-Year Option; Trade Interest Emerging For WR
Add Brandon Aiyuk to the list of wide receivers generating trade interest this offseason. The 49ers have fielded inquiries from multiple teams on the former first-round pick, but John Lynch plans to keep him in San Francisco.
The 49ers are also planning to pick up Aiyuk’s fifth-year option for 2024, Lynch said. That figure, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch, is set to come in at $14.12MM. Aiyuk is set to count just $3.9MM against the 49ers’ 2023 cap, which certainly helps drive some trade interest.
“Brandon’s been excellent for us. I’d be shocked if we didn’t,” Lynch said Monday at the league meetings regarding the fifth-year option decision. “We still have some time … we’re still discussing, but it probably makes sense to do that for Brandon. He’s a really good player. He’s a guy we’re very fortunate to have and he’s just coming into his own, too. He’s only going to get better. So we’re excited about watching Brandon move forward with us.”
As Lynch confirmed what had long been assumed — Trent Williams‘ top-market salary impeded the team from paying Mike McGlinchey — teams will naturally wonder if the 49ers will be open to dealing Aiyuk months after they extended Deebo Samuel, who signed a three-year, $71.6MM deal last August. The 49ers also have a record-setting Nick Bosa extension in sight this offseason.
Lynch said “a lot of people” have asked about Aiyuk at the various league gatherings, but the 49ers plan to have he and Samuel back. The 49ers join the Bengals (Tee Higgins), Chargers (Keenan Allen) and Broncos (Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton) to shoot down trade interest in wide receivers. These stances do not guarantee no trade will commence, but it will certainly take a big offer to convince the teams to change their minds.
Chosen in the space between Jeudy and Higgins’ slots in 2020 (No. 25 overall), Aiyuk has continued to progress. Despite his name not coming up as often as Jeudy’s in trade talks, Aiyuk has beaten the Denver wideout in eclipsing the 1,000-yard barrier. The Arizona State product, who is going into his age-25 season, tallied a career-high 1,015 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last year.
McGlinchey, who signed a five-year deal worth $87.5MM with the Broncos this month, said in an ESPN.com piece Kyle Shanahan informed him the team was considering a trade that would have shipped him out last year. At the time, McGlinchey was coming off a season-ending quad injury. That indication, one that stemmed from the price the 49ers expected him to fetch on the open market, came ahead of McGlinchey’s fifth-year option season. Aiyuk is not at that point on his timeline, but a trade will be something to monitor — with Samuel signed through 2025 — regarding Aiyuk. Though, the 49ers being off Jimmy Garoppolo‘s contract may affect their interest in having both Samuel and Aiyuk on veteran deals.
NFC West Coaching Updates: Rams, Kubiak, Cardinals
The Rams announced that they’ve finalized their coaching staff for the 2023 season earlier this month, according to Rams staff writer Stu Jackson. We covered a number of the changes from 2022 already, but below are the ones we have yet to cover.
With the departure of Thomas Brown, who will be calling plays for the Panthers in 2023, head coach Sean McVay had an opening for a new assistant head coach. We heard last month that the team added Jimmy Lake to the staff, but we didn’t have details on his role. It turns out that he will be replacing Brown as the Rams assistant head coach.
On offense, the biggest change we have yet to cover is the addition of Ron Gould as the team’s new running backs coach. After allowing Ra’Shaad Samples to depart for a college position, the Rams went and poached Gould away from San Diego State a month after Gould was named the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Aztecs. He spent the last six years coaching running backs at Stanford. Additionally, two assistants received promotions this offseason. Jake Peetz, who was an offensive assistant last year has been given the new title of pass game specialist. Kenneth Black, last year’s coaching fellow in Los Angeles, will fill Peetz’s previous role of offensive assistant.
Los Angeles made two new additions to the defensive staff. They hired Joe Coniglio to coach outside linebackers in 2023. Coniglio played a similar role for Navy last season. The other addition is Andrew Carter, who will be the new assistant defensive line coach after the departure of Skyler Jones. Carter was a defensive quality control coach for the Broncos last year.
Additionally, the Rams’ defensive staff saw a rare swap occur. Chris Shula, who served last year as the team’s pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, will spend 2023 as the inside linebackers coach/pass rush coordinator. Last year’s inside linebackers coach, Chris Beake, will now coach defensive backs.
Here are some other staff changes in the NFC West:
- We heard last month that the 49ers added Klint Kubiak to their staff in an unnamed role. The team recently announced that Kubiak will serve as San Francisco’s offensive passing game specialist in 2023. The 49ers also announced the hires of Jacob Webster as defensive quality control coach and Max Molz as coaching operations assistant. Both are making their NFL-debuts with Webster coming from Wisconsin as a graduate assistant and Molz serving as the associate director of football operations at Missouri last year.
- The Cardinals hired some personnel help for new general manager Monti Ossenfort earlier this week, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Arizona is bringing in Rob Kisiel to a pro personnel department executive position. Kisiel has been a pro scout for the Falcons for the last two seasons and previously served as director of pro personnel for the Texans.
Panthers Trade K Zane Gonzalez To 49ers
After allowing kicker Robbie Gould to walk in free agency, the 49ers have figured out Plan No. 1 for the position for next season. According to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt, Carolina has traded kicker Zane Gonzalez to San Francisco in exchange for a conditional late-round 2025 draft pick. Some reports describe the deal as a conditional swap of late-round picks. 
Gonzalez has not kicked in the NFL since 2021. A former seventh-round pick for the Browns in 2017 out of Arizona State, Gonzalez spent just over a year in Cleveland, getting waived after 18 games with a 68% field goal conversation rate and having missed three of 31 extra point attempts. He would rebound with the Cardinals, with whom he’d spend the next three years of his career.
In Arizona, Gonzalez was signed to the practice squad and elevated to fill in for an injured Phil Dawson. Gonzalez’s performance in substitute duty was rewarded with a new contract to stay with the team. He remained the Cardinals’ kicker in 2019 and going into 2020. Late into the 2020 season, though, Gonzalez found the injury bug, was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, and was released at the end of the league year.
Gonzalez spent three weeks in Detroit during the 2021 preseason before getting waived and signed to the practice squad. After letting go of Ryan Santoso, who kicked for Carolina in Week 1, the Panthers signed Gonzalez off the Lions’ practice squad. Gonzalez would kick for the Panthers until suffering a quad injury during warmups in a Week 15 game in Buffalo. The team was forced to play without a kicker for the game and depended on Lirim Hajrullahu for the remainder of the year.
Gonzalez was ready to retake his spot as the team’s placekicker when his injury woes continued. In the team’s final game of the 2022 preseason, Gonzalez once again injured his quad in warmups, forcing him to miss the entire season. The next day, Carolina signed kicker Eddy Pineiro to fill in for the season. Pineiro went 33-for-35 in field goal attempts and 30 for 32 in extra points and was rewarded with a two-year contract extension to remain the Panthers’ kicker, effectively marking the end of Gonzalez’s tenure in Carolina.
Instead of just releasing Gonzalez, the Panthers have been able to get some value for the superfluous special teamer in the form of San Francisco’s late draft pick. The 49ers were in need of a solution at placekicker after Gould’s departure. The longtime Bears kicker had just concluded his sixth year as a 49er. Gould had excited early in the Bay Area, converting 72 of 75 field goal attempts in his first two seasons with the team. He missed eight field goals the following year and struggled to repeat his early success with the 49ers.
Enter Gonzalez. The 27-year-old is coming off his strongest season, making 20 of 22 field goals in 2021, but is also coming off of a severe injury that held him out of the entire 2022 season. If Gonzalez can shake off the injury bug, he has promise to become the next franchise kicker in San Francisco.