49ers To Sign James Burgess
The 49ers are set to sign James Burgess (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). It’ll be a one-year deal for the former Packers and Jets linebacker. 
Burgess went undrafted out of Louisville in 2016 and didn’t see the field until 2017 with the Browns. But, when he arrived in Cleveland, he notched four sacks and wound up starting nine of his 14 games. He later moved on to the Jets, serving as their starting middle linebacker for ten games in 2019. That year, he notched 80 total tackles, one interception, three passes defensed, and eight tackles for loss.
His 2020 with the Packers was a little less noteworthy — he saw just four games before losing the year to a hamstring injury. Now, he’ll get a shot to stick with the Niners, who are also taking a look at ex-Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall, 32 in September, was a key player for Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl squad, but he’s been slowed by injuries of his own in recent years. It’s not immediately clear whether Marshall is still in the mix for SF after the addition of Burgess.
TE MyCole Pruitt Drawing Interest From Ravens, 49ers
The market for MyCole Pruitt is apparently heating up. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the veteran tight end visited with the Ravens this week and is set to meet with the 49ers next week.
After bouncing around the league a bit, Pruitt found a home in Tennessee in 2018. While the former fifth-rounder never put up big numbers during his stint with the Titans (20 receptions for 241 yards and one score), he had a consistent role as a blocking tight end, appearing in 42 games (15 starts) in three years. Pruitt also saw time in five playoff games for Tennessee, hauling in six receptions.
We learned last month that MyCole Pruitt was drawing interest from the Vikings. The tight end actually started his career with Minnesota back in 2015.
While both the 49ers (George Kittle) and Ravens (Mark Andrews) have Pro Bowl tight ends, they could still probably offer Pruitt a solid amount of playing time. In San Francisco, Ross Dwelley is the main backup behind Kittle, with 2020 sixth-round Charlie Woerner and undrafted free agent Josh Pederson rounding out the depth chart.
Baltimore’s depth chart is a bit more crowded, as the team is currently rostering seven tight ends. That includes long-time Raven Nick Boyle, veteran journeyman Eric Tomlinson, and former third-rounder Josh Oliver, who the team traded for this offseason. The team is also rostering 2020 undrafted free agents Jake Breeland and Eli Wolf, and they added 2021 undrafted free agent Tony Poljan earlier this month.
49ers Work Out Brandon Marshall
The 49ers auditioned Brandon Marshall on Thursday (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The former Broncos linebacker (not to be confused with the longtime NFL receiver) is looking to return to the field after a few years out of the league.
Marshall, 32 in September, was a key player for one of this century’s defining defenses. He started all 19 games the 2015 Super Bowl champion Broncos played and was a five-season first-stringer in Denver. In the 2016 offseason, Marshall inked an $8MM-per-year extension to stay in Denver. However, injuries plagued the veteran linebacker for much of that deal. The Broncos released Marshall in 2019. He then hooked on with the Raiders, but that didn’t last long thanks to an injury.
The veteran made the rounds last year, including a tryout with the Texans. To date, he has 418 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, 21 passes defensed, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles to his credit.
Shanahan Expects Fred Warner Extension
Fred Warner has become one of the NFL’s best linebackers. He joins Nick Bosa as a cornerstone front-seven 49ers piece on a rookie contract. Kyle Shanahan expects that status to change in the near future.
One year remains on Warner’s rookie pact. Although the former third-round pick’s salary is set to spike to $3.38MM this season, he will command top-tier off-ball linebacker money on an extension. The 49ers appear prepared to pay him as such.
“I want to get it done personally,” Shanahan said of a Warner extension (via NFL.com). “I kind of feel like I’d say the same about him as I did about [George] Kittle when we were talking about it [last year]. I just see that kind of as a matter of time.
“I know he’s not going into his free agent year or anything like that, so that’s why it’s not always on my mind. But Fred’s a guy that I plan on being here forever and who has earned that. I’d be surprised if that doesn’t start sooner than later.”
Warner earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2020, when he made 125 tackles and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 off-ball linebacker (by far). The 24-year-old defender said Tuesday he wants to be a “Niner for life.”
The 49ers have exclusive negotiating rights with Warner until the start of the 2022 league year next March. They would have the franchise tag at their disposal, should a deal remain elusive. Kittle signed his top-market extension last August, ahead of his fourth season. Warner may be on a similar timetable. No talks have begun just yet, but they appear imminent.
C.J. Mosley‘s $17MM-per-year contract has yet to benefit the Jets, but the 2019 deal changed the market for traditional linebackers. Bobby Wagner then topped it, via an $18MM-AAV pact, later that year. Both Warner and Darius Leonard are entering contract years; one of them will be in line to surpass Wagner’s deal and perhaps become the league’s first $20MM-per-year non-rush ‘backer.
Kyle Shanahan Discusses 49ers’ Potential Interest In Julio Jones
The 49ers have already pulled off one blockbuster trade this offseason, and they might not be done. When asked about the team’s potential interest in Falcons wideout Julio Jones, head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that the team’s acquisition of the No. 3 pick (and subsequent selection of Trey Lance) may have paved the way for another major deal.
“Well, you know I’m not legally allowed to talk about players on other teams,” Shanahan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “So I can’t answer that exactly the way you want me to.
“Anyone I’ve coached in the past that I have a relationship with, especially a great dude like Julio, obviously I have a ton of respect for. We’re always interested in improving our team. We’ll never just say, ‘Hey, we’re done. We can’t improve our team.’ You always try to make that happen. But, yeah, it makes it harder when you’ve already given up some stuff to make some moves and things like that.”
As Shanahan noted, the coach served as the Falcons offensive coordinator between 2015 and 2016, a pair of seasons that saw Jones compile 3,280 total yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. Five years later, Jones finds himself on the trade block while Shanahan finds himself loading up for an eventual run at the championship.
We learned yesterday that Jones had already requested a trade, and this followed reports that the Falcons would consider dealing the future Hall of Famer as they looked to clear some money off the books. Plenty of teams would naturally have interest in the wideout, but only a handful of names have definitively trickled out over the past few days, including the Patriots and Titans.
While the 49ers won’t be able to satisfy the Falcons’ desire for a first-round pick, they have the cap space to make a deal happen. Plus, Jones would add some legitimacy to an offense that (outside of tight end George Kittle) is predicated on youth and upside. While former first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk and former second-round pick Deebo Samuel have the draft pedigree, the young duo combined for only 1,242 all-purpose yards last season (albeit in only 19 combined games).
49ers RB Jeff Wilson To Miss Start Of Regular Season
Jeff Wilson will be sidelined for the next four to six months. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the 49ers running back recently underwent surgery on a torn meniscus and will be sidelined through the start of the regular season.
If the timeline is to be believed, Wilson could see the field anytime between late September and late November. Garafolo notes that this procedure repaired the meniscus (vs. trimming the meniscus), necessitating the lengthy recovery. Wilson opted to go under the knife after dealing with a locked knee joint, and the surgery is expected to be the best route for his long-term health.
The former undrafted free agent had a career year in 2020, finishing with 733 yards from scrimmage and 10 offensive touchdowns. Thanks to that performance, 25-year-old was rewarded with a fully-guaranteed $2MM salary for 2021.
While the 49ers would obviously prefer Wilson be on the field, they’ve done a nice job stocking up on running backs this offseason. The team signed veteran Wayne Gallman and added a pair of rookies, including third-rounder Trey Sermon and sixth-rounder Elijah Mitchell. The team will also return Raheem Mostert, who started eight games in 2020.
49ers C Weston Richburg To Retire
Injuries will end up ending Weston Richburg‘s career after just five seasons and change. The former 49ers big-ticket free agency addition will not return for the 2021 season. Kyle Shanahan confirmed Richburg intends to retire, via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch (on Twitter).
Richburg, 29, missed all of 2020 with injuries, including a torn patellar tendon, and was set to undergo hip surgery earlier this offseason. The former Giants second-round pick last played in December 2019.
The 49ers gave Richburg a five-year, $47.5MM contract in 2018, and the Colorado State alum started 28 games with the team. He fared well as San Francisco’s center, and his injury threw the team off course. The 49ers used Ben Garland for the 2019 stretch run, which ended in a Super Bowl LIV berth, and re-signed him for last season. But the veteran backup/spot starter was one of many 49ers to land on IR early last season. San Francisco added Alex Mack, who played for Shanahan in Atlanta, early in free agency this year.
After Super Bowl LIV, Richburg was targeting a return for the 49ers’ 2020 training camp. Those goal posts eventually moved, and the veteran blocker wound up on the 49ers’ reserve/PUP list. Torn patellar tendons are among the most severe injuries on the NFL spectrum; Richburg becomes the latest to see his career end because of one.
For his career, Richburg started 78 of the 79 games he played. A concussion ended his 2017 season early, and the Giants ended up going in a different direction. Big Blue has yet to find a surefire long-term replacement. The 49ers have Mack in place as a stopgap. The 49ers will be hit with nearly $7MM in dead money, stemming from the prorated bonuses on Richburg’s deal.
Dede Westbrook Talked With 49ers
Add another team to the list of Dede Westbrook suitors. Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter) that the free agent wideout had “preliminary communication” with the 49ers.
It’s been just about seven months since Westbrook suffered his torn ACL, and Anderson notes that the player is expecting to be fully cleared by the eight-month mark. That means Westbrook should be good to go for the beginning of training camp.
Westbrook recorded 66 grabs in both 2018 and 2019 for an average of 699 yards and four touchdowns per slate. He was hoping to build on those marks in 2020, but he was limited to only a pair of games thanks to the torn ACL and an unrelated early-season injury. We heard earlier this month that the wideout was drawing interest from multiple teams, and we later learned that the Bengals and Vikings were among his potential suitors. The wide receiver was also being recruited by Chiefs players.
The 49ers have used plenty of draft capital on wideouts in recent years, and former first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk and former second-rounder Deebo Samuel are expected to lead the depth chart. Westbrook would likely have to compete with the likes of Mohamed Sanu, Richie James, and Jalen Hurd for backup reps.
49ers To Use Lance Like Taysom Hill?
The 49ers just drafted Trey Lance third overall, officially starting the countdown clock for how long Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the team’s starter. Lance was considered a somewhat raw prospect due to his limited amount of college experience at North Dakota State, which is why most expect Garoppolo to open the season as the starter. While Garoppolo is the favorite to be under center come Week 1, that doesn’t mean we won’t get to see Lance on the field right away.
The 49ers will try to “sprinkle in Lance the way the Saints have used Taysom Hill in recent seasons,” Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes. Barrows highlights recent comments Kyle Shanahan made on KNBR, when he raved about how Lance’s athleticism could open up the offense.
“It really makes the defense — if you’re in certain formations — honor 11-on-11 football. Because he is that type of threat, not just with his feet but also the way he runs the ball. He’s very natural at it. He can protect himself. He’s got the size to handle a couple of things. He’s always going to be a threat at any time,” the 49ers head coach said. Even if he’s not throwing the bulk of the passes, it’ll be fun to see what kind of packages Shanahan can come up with for Lance off the bench.
49ers Cut Marqise Lee
Well, that was fast. On Friday, the 49ers released wide receiver Marqise Lee. In a related move, they’ve signed fellow wideout Bennie Fowler to take his place on the roster. 
The one-time Jaguars notable signed with the Niners on May 17. A few short days later, he finds himself looking for work once again. Lee made a decent impression on coaches during the 49ers’ rookie minicamp practices and was hoping to stick. It appeared to be a good landing spot for him, especially since he grew up in California and played his college ball at USC.
Between 2016 and 2017, Lee averaged about 60 receptions and 776 receiving yards. He went on to land a four-year, $38MM extension from Jacksonville, but that deal was cut short. Between knee injuries and the COVID opt-out, he’s seen just six games since the end of ’17.
Fowler, meanwhile, has spent the last two years with the Giants. He wasn’t on the field much in 2020, snagging just two receptions before a season-ending shoulder injury.