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Hall Of Fame RB O.J. Simpson Dies At 76

April 11th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

O.J. Simpson died Thursday after a battle with prostate cancer, his family announced. He was 76. Simpson rose to prominence as a running back, broadcaster and actor before seeing his legacy irreparably altered upon being tried for murder. Simpson was acquitted on charges he killed his ex-wife and her friend but was later found liable in a civil trial.

One of the NFL’s greatest running backs, Simpson was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 1985. He played 11 NFL seasons — nine with the Bills, two with the 49ers — and was the first player to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a season. The former Heisman winner eclipsed the 2,000-yard barrier in 1973, when the NFL schedule remained at 14 games. He is the only player to have surpassed 2,000 in the 14-game era.

The No. 1 overall pick in 1969, Simpson became the centerpiece of the Bills’ offense for many years. Buffalo made the playoffs just once during Simpson’s nine-season tenure, losing a divisional-round game to eventual champion Pittsburgh in 1974, but its elusive back led the league in rushing four times from 1972-76.

While Simpson peaked with 2,003 rushing yards in 1973, he bettered his yards-from-scrimmage total from that season (2,073) with 2,243 in 1975. Simpson’s ’75 season included a career-high 23 touchdowns; despite his prolific stretch, Simpson only topped 10 TDs in a season twice. Simpson’s 141.3 rushing yards per game in 1973 remains the NFL single-season record; his 1975 scrimmage yards total stood as the NFL mark until Eric Dickerson broke it by a yard in 1984. Simpson joined Walter Payton as the first-team All-Decade running backs for the 1970s.

“O.J. Simpson was the first player to reach a rushing mark many thought could not be attained in a 14-game season when he topped 2,000 yards,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. “His on-field contributions will be preserved in the Hall’s archives in Canton, Ohio.”

The Bills moved on from their workhorse back in 1978, sending Simpson — a San Francisco native — to the 49ers for a considerable haul. The 49ers sent the Bills a first-round pick, two second-rounders, a third and a fourth for the aging back. The first-rounder (a 1979 pick) became No. 1 overall. Moved to the 49ers at 31, Simpson battled multiple injuries with his second team and did not surpass 600 rushing yards in either of his San Francisco seasons. San Francisco had already sent three first-round picks for quarterback Jim Plunkett under GM Joe Thomas in 1976; Thomas was out by 1979, leading to the Bill Walsh era.

Simpson’s NFL career became an afterthought following the events of 1994. A widely viewed June 1994 police chase ended with Simpson in custody; more than a year later, a jury found him not guilty in connection with the knife slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The 1997 civil case found Simpson liable and ordered a $33.5MM payment to Brown Simpson and Goldman’s families.

More than a decade later, a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room involved two Simpson associates carrying guns. Simpson served nine years in prison for armed robbery, kidnapping and other felony charges.

49ers Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin

April 11th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are not stopping at Isaac Yiadom at cornerback this offseason; they are adding another veteran outside cover man to the mix. Rock Ya-Sin is signing with the team, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes. The 49ers have since announced the agreement.

Ya-Sin, who spent last season with the Ravens, is joining the 49ers on a one-year deal. The former second-round pick will be part of the team’s boundary CB mix, joining Yiadom and a few others in the running to see regular time alongside Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.

Not signing with Baltimore until after last year’s draft, Ya-Sin did not stay on his path of starting jobs. A regular starter for both the Colts and Raiders, Ya-Sin only started one game with the Ravens. That came in Week 18, when the team rested much of its starters due to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed previously. He logged a 29% defensive snap share last season, playing behind Marlon Humphrey and late-summer pickup Ronald Darby. Ya-Sin made just 13 tackles and broke up two passes as a Raven. He was on the field for just two defensive plays in the playoffs.

For his career, Ya-Sin has 39 starts on his resume. Nine of those came for the Raiders in 2022, though the former Colts draftee missed six 2022 games and has not played more than 13 in a season since his 2019 rookie year. A knee injury ended Ya-Sin’s Raiders season early. The Colts traded Ya-Sin to the Raiders straight up for Yannick Ngakoue; that relocation came in Ya-Sin’s contract year. The Temple alum, who worked as a Colts starter for parts of three seasons, will try for another bounce-back season.

Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin as a mid-pack corner during his Raiders and Ravens years. In 2021, however, the advanced metrics site slotted Ya-Sin 29th at the position. Primarily playing on the outside, the soon-to-be 28-year-old defender will join a 49ers team that will feature an adjusted CB group from its Super Bowl LVIII plan. Logan Ryan primarily operated as San Francisco’s slot cog during the overtime loss to Kansas City; Ryan retired earlier this week.

The 49ers appear to be looking for an outside regular opposite Ward, which would allow Lenoir to shift to the slot in sub-packages. Lenoir and Ward are going into contract years. The 49ers added Yiadom and Ya-Sin to a group that includes Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack. The defending NFC champs are casting a wide net in hopes of finding CB stability.

Traded NFL Draft Picks For 2024

April 10th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the 2024 draft nears, numerous picks have already changed hands. A handful of picks have already been moved twice, with a few being traded three times. Multiple deals from 2021 impact this draft. Here are the 2024 picks to have been traded thus far:

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

49ers Notes: Gipson, Purdy, Yiadom, Mond

April 10th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Safety became an issue for the 49ers last season, with Talanoa Hufanga suffering a season-ending injury on Thanksgiving. The team brought in Logan Ryan as an emergency pickup, and the versatile veteran ended up sliding into a key slot role down the stretch. Ryan has since retired, and another safety regular to close out San Francisco’s Super Bowl season is unsigned. Although Tashaun Gipson is going into an age-34 season, John Lynch said the team has engaged in talks about re-signing the veteran. Gipson has been a full-time starter in San Francisco over the past two seasons. However, the 49ers are looking at other experienced safeties.

“The safety market took a beating,” Lynch said, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). “It took years to get the guys to where they were being compensated. A bunch of them got cut, so a bunch of great players are out there. It’d be foolish of us to not take a look.”

With Hufanga on the way back, the 49ers have a host of options to consider outside of Gipson. The Broncos released four-time All-Pro Justin Simmons, while the Seahawks cut Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Eddie Jackson and Marcus Maye are also available due to roster cuts, and Micah Hyde remains unsigned as well. This many proven options available will cut into this group’s earning potential, but it represents good news for safety-needy teams. Though, the 49ers rostering 2023 third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown may limit their interest in spending much for a veteran.

Here is the latest out of San Francisco:

  • Had the 49ers not ended the 2022 draft by selecting Brock Purdy, he would already be extension-eligible due to UDFAs only needing to play two years before being free to sign for veteran terms. The 49ers must keep the former seventh-round pick on his rookie deal through at least the 2024 season, but the Super Bowl starter did fare well via the NFL’s proven performance escalator system. Tied to an $870K base salary in 2023, Purdy nearly doubled his money via PPE earnings ($740K), ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Purdy, 24, is tied to a $985K base salary this season; 49ers owner Jed York is already discussing the prospect of a monster extension come 2025.
  • Recent signee Isaac Yiadom is set to compete for a regular job on the outside, Lynch said. Yiadom, a former Broncos third-rounder who enjoyed a quality season with the Saints after his career struggled to take off for years, will join Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack in competing for the primary boundary job opposite Charvarius Ward. A member of that quartet impressing would allow the 49ers to move Deommodore Lenoir inside in sub-packages. Lenoir has played both outside and inside in his career; he closed last season on the outside, as Ryan patrolled the slot.
  • Former Vikings third-round pick Kellen Mond worked out for the 49ers on Wednesday, Barrows adds. The Texas A&M product has been with three teams in three years. After a Vikings cut led Mond to a third-string role with the Browns, his failure to make Cleveland’s 53-man roster last year keyed a move to the Colts’ practice squad. Mond did not see any action in 2023, and the Colts did not keep him on a reserve/futures deal. The 49ers lost Sam Darnold to the Vikings but re-signed Brandon Allen and added recent Vikings starter Joshua Dobbs. While teams regularly bring four QBs into offseason programs, Mond would not seem to have much upward mobility if he caught on with San Francisco.
  • A recent roster violation led the NFL to strip the 49ers of a 2025 fifth-round pick. Lynch said the penalty stemmed from (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco) the team overpaying an unspecified player by $75K during the pandemic period. Rather than contacting the NFL about this, the 49ers’ effort to recoup the money brought on the violation.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Higbee, 49ers

April 9th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks are conducting a thorough search for interior offensive line help. This has included three visits with veterans thus far. Following the news of Greg Van Roten and Lucas Patrick‘s visits, Ike Boettger has spoken with the team. Boettger, 29, made a trip to Seattle on Monday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The former Bills starter spent last season with the Colts. The Seahawks let Damien Lewis walk in free agency and have not re-signed 2023 starter Phil Haynes. As the team transitions to Ryan Grubb as its play-caller, it appears clear a veteran free agent will be part of the equation at guard.

Considering how Boettger’s career has gone since a December 2021 Achilles tear, he would qualify as a depth-level addition. Boettger, who started 17 Bills games at guard from 2020-21, was not activated off Buffalo’s PUP list until mid-December of 2022. He only played in one game that season and was active for just two Colts contests last year.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Tyler Higbee is expected to begin training camp on the Rams‘ active/PUP list, Sean McVay said recently. Considering the timing of Higbee’s ACL tear (Los Angeles’ wild-card loss), it would not surprise to see the veteran tight end transferred to the reserve/PUP list to start the season. Higbee, 31, is going into his ninth season with the Rams. The longtime starter is on his third contract (two years, $17MM); that deal runs through 2025. If Higbee is shifted to the reserve/PUP list, he would miss the Rams’ first four games. The team added ex-Seahawk Colby Parkinson in free agency; Parkinson spent the past three seasons playing in ex-McVay staffer Shane Waldron‘s offense, making for a smooth transition.
  • The 49ers have received better injury news regarding their top tight end. George Kittle underwent core muscle surgery recently, but John Lynch said (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco) the All-Pro is not in danger of missing training camp time. Ditto Charvarius Ward, who also underwent core surgery early this offseason. Ward is going into a contract year, while Kittle still has two years remaining on the $15MM-per-year extension he signed in 2020. Both were All-Pros last season.
  • The Rams dived into the guard market’s deep waters this year, re-signing Kevin Dotson and adding Jonah Jackson. They also added Parkinson and brought back Darious Williams. These deals, as The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue points out, largely overlap with the rookie contracts of Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams and Kobie Turner. Players are also more interested in shorter-term deals now, as the cap spikes at record-setting levels. “I think you’ve seen that trend in the league, players want shorter deals,” Rams VP of football ops Tony Pastoors said. “It allows them to get back to free agency. As the cap continues to grow, they’re not stuck in a deal they are unhappy with because the numbers are antiquated. … I think the other part of it is probably just the evolution of Sean and Les (Snead), and wanting to be able to make moves and make adjustments and not have huge ramifications.”
  • Not long after the Steelers added Cordarrelle Patterson with an eye on the NFL’s radical kickoff change, the Seahawks have the same plan in mind for recent pickup Laviska Shenault. GM John Schneider said (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta) the team signed the former second-round pick to be a return-game weapon. The 220-pound wideout, who will also serve as a Seattle backup receiver, only returned nine kickoffs while on his rookie contract. Each came with the Panthers over the past two seasons. But he showed some big-play ability in Carolina and Jacksonville. As the kickoff receives a revival (on a trial basis), the Seahawks had a target in mind to take advantage.

DB Logan Ryan Announces Retirement

April 9th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Sam Robinson

Nearly two months after returning to the Super Bowl stage, Logan Ryan is stepping away from football. The versatile defensive back announced his retirement after 11 seasons Tuesday morning (video link).

The former Patriots draftee later made his way to the Titans, Giants, Buccaneers and 49ers. The San Francisco agreement did not come to pass until early December, shortly after Talanoa Hufanga‘s season-ending injury. Ryan, 33, went from spending most of 2023 out of football to playing 62 defensive snaps in Super Bowl LVIII. He closes his career with 19 interceptions.

That marked Ryan’s third Super Bowl appearance. The 2013 third-rounder was a backup cornerback in Super Bowl XLIX but a starter by the time the Patriots returned to a Super Bowl two years later. Ryan played every Patriots defensive snap in their historic comeback past the Falcons, parlaying that season into a three-year, $30MM Titans contract.

A Rutgers alum, Ryan started 124 games and suited up for 19 playoff contests. Primarily playing cornerback in New England and Tennessee, Ryan was one of the top tacklers at the position during this NFL period. That helped a transition to safety commence during his Giants tenure. The Giants picked up Ryan late in the 2020 offseason and handed the New Jersey native an extension (three years, $31MM) months after that signing.

During Ryan’s final Titans season (2019), the team voyaged to its first AFC championship game since 2002. The 5-foot-11 defender had returned from a broken leg that ended his 2018 season. Ryan helped the 2019 Titans’ cause by making 113 tackles — 31 more than any other corner registered that season — as primarily a slot defender. Ryan’s 2019 playoffs included a pick-six on Tom Brady, ending the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII title defense in the wild-card round. Ryan also intercepted a pass and sacked Brock Osweiler during the Patriots’ divisional-round win over the Texans in 2016.

The COVID-19-marred 2020 offseason led to several veterans lingering in free agency for months, as visits were shut down for an extended period. Ryan belatedly landed with the Giants on August 31, 2020, soon completing the transition to a safety role. This came after he displayed high-level blitzing chops, tallying 8.5 sacks over his final two Titans seasons.

Teaming with Xavier McKinney in 2021, Ryan notched a career-high 117 tackles in his second Giants season. Ryan’s two Giants years overlapped with ex-Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge’s New York tenure. The team moved on shortly after hiring Joe Schoen as GM, cutting Ryan and letting Jabrill Peppers join the Patriots in free agency. The Giants have since passed on re-signing ex-Ryan safety teammates McKinney and Julian Love, effectively starting over at the position.

The Buccaneers gave Ryan an opportunity in 2022, but a foot fracture limited his on-field work in Tampa. Ryan played in nine games with the Bucs, starting six, but the team did not bring him back in 2023. The 49ers reached out to Ryan following Hufanga’s injury, encouraging him to go on a booked cruise with his family before joining the team for the stretch run. After playing 12 defensive snaps over his first three 49ers games, Ryan was on the field for every San Francisco defensive play in Week 17, as the team wrapped up home-field advantage. He then played 100% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps against the Packers in the divisional round.

Ryan moved into the San Francisco slot role by Super Bowl LVIII and was the closest defender in coverage on Mecole Hardman‘s game-winning touchdown — one that wrapped the NFL’s longest Super Bowl — but the veteran safety/corner provided the 49ers with some pivotal reps leading up to that point. Discounting a short-field, one-play TD possession in the third quarter, it took the Chiefs until overtime to mount a touchdown drive against the 49ers. Ryan played in both the NFL’s overtime Super Bowls.

Over his career, Ryan earned just more than $69MM. The Titans authorized Ryan’s biggest contract, one he played out in the late 2010s, but he earned more than $15MM with the Giants as well.

49ers Sign TE Eric Saubert

April 8th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers made it clear they were looking for tight end depth during their failed pursuit of Brock Wright. The team has found at least a partial answer in Eric Saubert. The 49ers announced today that they’ve signed the veteran tight end to a one-year deal.

[RELATED: Lions Match 49ers’ Brock Wright RFA Offer Sheet]

Saubert has bounced around the NFL since being selected by the Falcons in the fifth-round of the 2017 draft, spending time with nine different organizations through his seven professional seasons. The six-foot-five, 253-pound TE has mostly served as a blocker in the NFL, although he did haul in 15 catches for the Broncos in 2022.

Saubert had stints with the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Texans in 2023. He got into nine games last season with Houston, hauling in three catches while splitting snaps between offense and special teams.

The 49ers have been hunting for tight end depth after they lost backup Charlie Woerner to the Falcons. The team tried to steal Wright away from the Lions, but Detroit ended up matching the three-year RFA offer. Saubert has similar size to Woerner and should be a fine replacement in the blocking role alongside TE1 George Kittle. However, if Kittle goes down with an injury, the 49ers will be eyeing a TE corps that also includes the likes of Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu, and Jake Tonges…a grouping that’s combined for zero NFL receptions.

Latest On Arik Armstead’s 49ers Departure

April 7th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Parks

Needing to clear cap space and with a considerable amount of resources invested in their defensive front already, the 49ers elected to release defensive tackle Arik Armstead last month. San Francisco, which selected Armstead in the first round of the 2015 draft, first offered the Oregon product the opportunity to remain with the club via a pay reduction (he was due to earn a $17.4MM salary in 2024, the final year of his contract).

Armstead declined the Niners’ proposal, and he drew interest from multiple clubs upon reaching the open market. He ultimately scored a three-year contract with the Jaguars, which was initially reported as a $51MM accord. David Lombardi of The Athletic says that the deal is actually worth $43.5MM, though it includes $28MM guaranteed at signing (subscription required).

Regardless of the contract’s maximum value, the Jags were simply prepared to pay significantly more than the 49ers to secure Armstead’s services, as Lombardi writes. In an episode of his Third and Long with Arik Armstead program on YouTube, the player himself confirms that the 49ers offered him a one-year, $6MM contract for 2024, with incentive provisions that could have pushed the total payout to $8MM. While acknowledging the difficulty of the business decisions that NFL clubs often have to make, Armstead nonetheless said he felt “extremely disrespected” by the offer.

San Francisco ultimately replaced Armstead by swinging a trade with the Texans for Maliek Collins, who comes with an $8MM base salary and $8.47MM cap charge in 2024. Per Lombardi, the team hopes to put the money saved by the Armstead release into a new contract for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, though the latest reporting on that topic indicates that the 49ers and Aiyuk are not close on their extension talks. Aiyuk is under club control through 2024 via the fifth-year option.

In addition to Collins, the 49ers further buttressed their front seven by signing Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, whose modest 2024 cap numbers check in at $3.4MM and $3.2MM, respectively. While Gross-Matos, a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2020, did not live up to expectations during his four-year run in Charlotte, Niners GM John Lynch said the 26-year-old edge defender generated significant free agent interest from around the league.

“I thought (Gross-Matos’ agent) handled it like a house in Los Altos,” Lynch said (via Lombardi). “He priced it low, then he got the whole league interested and then everybody (got in on the bidding). Yetur was the guy that we signed that we had the most people in the league say, ‘Man, we were in on him.’ A lot of guys were after him.”

Lynch believes Gross-Matos has a real opportunity to thrive in San Francisco’s 4-3 alignment, which will allow the team to utilize his versatility and put him in the best position to succeed.

Lions Match 49ers’ Brock Wright RFA Offer Sheet

April 3rd, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions will not let Brock Wright leave for California. Detroit is matching San Francisco’s three-year, $12MM RFA offer sheet, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Lions have announced their decision to retain the fourth-year veteran.

Wednesday marked the deadline for the Lions to keep Wright on the 49ers’ terms or pass. Despite rostering breakout tight end Sam LaPorta, the Lions view Wright as a key auxiliary component of their offense. By virtue of the 49ers‘ offer sheet, Wright is no longer going year to year. Rather than playing out a rookie contract, he is now signed through 2026 with Detroit.

San Francisco lost top George Kittle backup Charlie Woerner, who joined the Falcons on a three-year, $12MM deal. That set the market for Wright, who became the rare RFA to receive an offer sheet. The 49ers included $6MM guaranteed in an attempt to prevent their most recent NFC championship game opponent from matching, but the Lions will do so anyway.

While this decision will extend the 49ers’ search for a No. 2 tight end, the Lions will end up paying Wright more than they had planned. They had given the former UDFA the low-end RFA tender, which called for a $2.99MM salary in 2024. The LaPorta sidekick will instead see a nice guarantee and see some security rather than playing out a contract year as a backup. Used frequently as a run-blocking presence in Detroit, the Notre Dame alum will continue developing in OC Ben Johnson‘s system rather than transitioning to Kyle Shanahan‘s.

Wright, 25, played 44% of Detroit’s offensive snaps last season. In 2022, that number came in at 52%. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher totaled 18 receptions for 216 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. This included a 51-yard game-winner against the Jets. With LaPorta in the fold last season, Wright totaled just 13 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus did not rate Wright well as a run blocker last season, grading him in the bottom quartile at the position. Still, 263 of Wright’s 423 offensive snaps came on run plays.

The 49ers will join the Dolphins and Bears as recent teams to submit an RFA offer sheet only to see it matched. The Broncos matched the Fins’ C.J. Anderson offer sheet in 2016, while the Bills kept Ryan Bates (before sending the O-lineman to the Bears earlier this year). San Francisco used a third-round pick on tight end Cameron Latu last year, but he suffered a torn ACL during the preseason. The 49ers viewed Latu as more of a developmental player, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, explaining their Wright move.

49ers Sign RB Patrick Taylor

April 3rd, 2024 at 6:54pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers added some running back depth in the form of former Packers backup Patrick Taylor, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Taylor joins an already crowded room as a likely camp body who will attempt to break into a bigger role over the offseason.

Taylor was an undrafted signee for the Packers out of Memphis in 2020. After two stellar years with the Tigers in which he rushed for a combined 1,988 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, Taylor would lose the back half of his senior year to a foot injury. Green Bay took a flyer on him as an undrafted free agent, and he spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list before making his way to the practice squad in 2021.

In his sophomore season, Taylor would be promoted to the active roster in November to make his NFL debut, appearing in nine games that season while rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown. In the two years since, he has played in 15 games, rushing for 172 yards.

He didn’t spend all of the 2023 season in Green Bay, though. The Packers actually waived Taylor after signing him to their active roster in October. As a free agent, the Patriots signed Taylor to their own practice squad. Green Bay made the move to bring him back, signing him off New England’s practice squad to their active roster, where he would spend the remainder of the season.

In San Francisco, Taylor arrives to a room that already contains the highest-paid running back in the NFL, Christian McCaffrey. Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason both shared backup duties pretty equally in 2023, though Mitchell missed quite a few games with injury, and both are set to return. Taylor brings a bit more receiving experience to the room, but McCaffrey is pretty good at that, too.

So, in Taylor comes with a bit of competition ahead of him. He’ll try to earn his way onto the roster and, perhaps, could be stashed to use in the case of further missed time by Mitchell or others.

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