49ers To Bring Back WR Trent Taylor
After three years away, Trent Taylor has agreed to come back to San Francisco. The veteran wide receiver/return man is set to rejoin the 49ers, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. The team has since announced a one-year agreement with Taylor.
The 49ers drafted Taylor in the 2017 fifth round but did not retain him once his rookie contract expired. After two seasons with the Bengals, the slot player/punt returner spent last year with the Bears. Taylor operated as Chicago’s primary punt returner last season.
Taylor predates some of the key 49ers who have been part of the team’s run of NFC championship game appearances over the past three years, but he arrived during Kyle Shanahan‘s first offseason as HC. The 49ers used Taylor extensively on offense in 2017; the 5-foot-8 target caught 43 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns. Since that season, however, Taylor has not seen much usage on offense. He has, however, worked as a regular punt returner for three franchises.
Also San Francisco’s punt returner as a rookie, Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per return with Cincinnati in 2022; that ranked sixth in the NFL. Last year, the Bears stashed Taylor on their practice squad before calling him up ahead of Week 1. Taylor played in all 17 Chicago games, averaging 8.3 yards per return. While Taylor has not seen much time as a receiver since his first 49ers stint, he caught a key two-point conversion in the Bengals’ overtime win over the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC championship game.
San Francisco’s primary punt returner last season — Ray-Ray McCloud — is no longer on the roster; he signed with the Falcons in free agency. A failed McCloud fumble recovery on the punt that caromed off Darrell Luter in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII became a pivotal sequence for the 49ers, whose defense surrendered a touchdown — the Chiefs’ only regulation TD in the overtime thriller — one play later. Taylor, who will turn 30 later this month, may now be the favorite to replace McCloud in the return game.
A Taylor injury prevented him from playing in 2019, though he did circle back to a Super Bowl stage two years later with the Bengals. As the 49ers attempt to clear a troublesome hurdle en route to their sixth championship, they are bringing back an old friend for a niche role. Although the NFL changing the kick-return game has affected teams’ plans this offseason, Taylor has mostly been a punt-game specialist. The Louisiana Tech alum has eight career kickoff returns as a pro.
49ers Rebuffing Brandon Aiyuk Trade Inquiries
Taking the increasingly common step of unfollowing his team during a contract situation, Brandon Aiyuk has not requested a trade. But the 49ers’ situation complicates his future. And teams are looking into this situation.
Receiver-needy teams have reached out to the 49ers about Aiyuk’s potential availability over the past several months, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Thus far, per RapSheet (video link), San Francisco has rebuffed those efforts and is moving forward with Aiyuk on the roster. That said, John Lynch has acknowledged the challenges of this process at multiple points this offseason.
[RELATED: Jed York Addresses Brock Purdy Contract]
The draft looms as the calendar’s second trade window of sorts and should be seen as one of the deadlines in this situation. The 49ers are in a good spot contractually for 2024, with Brock Purdy forced to stay on a rookie contract. By 2025, however, the team stands to have a much more complicated situation on its hands. As Purdy becomes extension-eligible, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are signed to upper-crust or top-market (in McCaffrey’s case) extensions.
Kittle, McCaffrey and Samuel will be in contract years in 2025 as well. That sets up a difficult landscape for the 49ers, who have Aiyuk and Charvarius Ward contract years presently. Aiyuk, 25, led the 49ers in receiving — by a wide margin, with a career-high 1,342 — last year. With the DeVonta Smith contract (three years, $75MM, $51MM in practical guarantees) potentially settling in as the floor for an Aiyuk deal, the 49ers will need to determine their future with their talented wideout tandem.
Although extension talks have begun, the 49ers and Aiyuk — as of late March — were not close on terms. Like the Bengals and Tee Higgins, the 49ers keeping Aiyuk would provide a team on the championship doorstep — no team has ever been closer to a title without winning it than last year’s San Francisco edition — with a better chance of stepping over an elusive hurdle. But the 49ers also faced an eerily similar situation in the past. They responded to the DeForest Buckner–Arik Armstead situation, which came to a head just after their first Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, by unloading the more expensive player for a first-round pick.
Indeed, GMs are monitoring this latest San Francisco contract quandary. One anonymous front office boss told the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora he expects the 49ers to move either Aiyuk or Samuel but noted “if Deebo was the guy to go, I think he’d already be gone.” This GM said he would be “shocked” if the 49ers do not move one of their receivers.
The team gave Jauan Jennings a second-round RFA tender in March, but losing Aiyuk would not exactly mean the former seventh-round pick steps into the WR2 role — even if the team is eyeing a Jennings extension. Given how close the 49ers have been over the past three years, the team would seemingly need to add a starter-caliber wideout in the event it did accept a trade offer for Aiyuk.
Multiple factors might keep a trade haul low, which would make 49ers tabling this matter to 2025 understandable. Aiyuk is in the final year of his rookie contract (a $14.12MM fifth-year option); a team needing to sign off on an extension north of where the Eagles went for Smith would naturally decrease the compensation coming back to San Francisco. This draft also features a deep receiver class, which could prompt teams to take their chances with a first- or second-round wideout that will be attached to a rookie contract into the late 2020s.
A tag-and-trade situation could conceivably come up for the 49ers next year, but it is clear teams are looking closely at this storyline ahead of the draft. The Jets and Lions made offers for Samuel during the 2022 draft; the 49ers held onto their versatile weapon and extended him later that summer. After four seasons with Samuel and Aiyuk together, will the 49ers unload the 2020 first-rounder and pivot to a cost-controlled replacement?
WR Notes: Adams, Aiyuk, Bills
Davante Adams has been mentioned in trade speculation on a number of occasions, but new Raiders general manager Tom Telesco has made it clear the team is not looking to find him a new home. Adams himself has offered a similar commitment.
“If I wanted to be gone, I’d be gone by now,” the three-time All-Pro said Sunday during an appearance at his youth camp (h/t Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Adams has been connected to the Jets in particular given New York’s addition of Aaron Rodgers last offseason, but the team has made other veteran WR plans. The Jets added Mike Williams on one-year deal after his Chargers release, leaving the Raiders in place to make Adams the focal point of their passing game for a third season.
Adams was among the members of Vegas’ core who endorsed giving Antonio Pierce – after finishing the 2023 campaign as interim head coach – the full-time gig for 2024. That wound up being the case, and the Raiders will no doubt lean heavily on the 31-year-old on offense with running back Josh Jacobs no longer in the fold and, potentially, a rookie quarterback competing for playing time with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. Three years remain on Adams’ deal (although no guaranteed salary is in place for 2025 or ’26).
Here are some other WR-related notes from around the league:
- 49ers standout Brandon Aiyuk has seen his future questioned recently, despite comments from general manager John Lynch confirming the team’s willingness to get a new deal done. With little progress being made on extension talks, the former first-rounder unfollowed the 49ers on Instagram, as noted by NFL Network’s Clayton Holloway. While such a move has become increasingly common over the years during contract disputes, Aiyuk is not eyeing a deal sending him elsewhere. The 26-year-old has not requested a trade, per his agent. Aiyuk is set to earn $14.12MM on his fifth-year option in 2024 absent a more lucrative San Francisco agreement being worked out.
- General manager Brandon Beane included edge rusher Von Miller as part of the Bills‘ party at least year’s Combine, and the latter intends to become a general manager once his playing days are over. Beane and Miller were linked once again on Friday when the future Hall of Famer posted a video with the caption reading in part: “Brandon Beane arriving to the 2024 NFL draft to trade up for a WR.” The Bills have been named as a team to watch on the receiver front in the draft, with Gabe Davis departing in free agency and Stefon Diggs being dealt to the Texans. While Buffalo has signed Curtis Samuel, the team could use a Day 1 rookie addition. The Bills currently own the 28th overall pick, and a move up the board could give them access to a number of highly-rated wideouts from the celebrated 2024 class.
Hall Of Fame RB O.J. Simpson Dies At 76
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
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
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
- Bears hold Panthers‘ pick (No. 1 overall) sending over 2023 No. 1 overall selection (QB Bryce Young)
- Texans acquired Browns‘ first-rounder in March 2022’s QB Deshaun Watson trade
- Vikings obtained No. 23 from Texans via March 2024 exchange
- Cardinals acquired Texans‘ pick (No. 27) in Houston’s climb up for DE Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3
Round 2
- Giants received second-round pick from Seahawks for DL Leonard Williams
- Panthers obtained No. 39 from Giants for OLB Brian Burns
- Commanders collected second-rounder from Bears (No. 40) for DE Montez Sweat
- Packers landed Jets‘ second-rounder (No. 41) in April 2023 blockbuster centered around QB Aaron Rodgers
- Green Bay would have collected New York’s 2024 first had Rodgers played 65% of the Jets’ 2023 offensive snaps, but his Week 1 Achilles tear scuttled that prospect
- Texans acquired Vikings‘ second-rounder (No. 42) in March 2024
- Saints nabbed Broncos‘ second (No. 45) in January 2023 deal for Sean Payton‘s rights
- Eagles collected Saints‘ second-rounder (No. 50) in April 2022 trade
Round 3
- Cardinals picked up Titans‘ 2024 third (No. 71) in deal that allowed Tennessee to draft QB Will Levis at No. 33
- Lions obtained Vikings‘ pick (No. 73) in 2022 deadline deal that sent TE T.J. Hockenson to Minnesota
- Commanders acquired No. 78 from Seahawks in deal for QB Sam Howell
- Falcons hold Jaguars‘ third (No. 79) by virtue of Calvin Ridley meeting playing-time thresholds but not signing an extension with Jacksonville before March 13, 2024
- Had Ridley re-signed before the 2024 league year, the Falcons would have acquired Jags’ second-rounder
- As part of Sean Payton trade, Broncos collected Saints‘ third
- Seahawks acquired No. 81 from Broncos for 2023 No. 83 choice (CB Riley Moss)
- Texans landed third from Eagles (No. 86) in trade for 2023 No. 105 choice (CB Kelee Ringo)
- As part of Anderson trade, Cardinals acquired Texans’ 2024 third (No. 90)
- Packers obtained No. 91 from Bills for CB Rasul Douglas
- Buccaneers acquired No. 92 from Lions for CB Carlton Davis
- Steelers nabbed No. 98 from Eagles in deal for QB Kenny Pickett
- Commanders added No. 100 from 49ers in deadline deal for DE Chase Young
Round 4
- Seahawks received No. 102 from Commanders in Sam Howell swap
- Chargers collected No. 110 from Bears in exchange for WR Keenan Allen
- In pick-swap trade involving OLB Jacob Martin at 2022 deadline, Jets picked up Broncos‘ fourth
- Ravens acquired No. 113 from Jets in exchange for T Morgan Moses
- Jaguars obtained Saints‘ 2024 fourth (No. 116) in exchange for 2023 No. 127 selection (QB Jake Haener)
- Steelers obtained fourth from Rams in exchange for G Kevin Dotson
- Eagles acquired No. 120 from Steelers in Kenny Pickett deal
- Broncos acquired No. 121 from Dolphins in 2022 Bradley Chubb trade
- Bears acquired Eagles‘ fourth (No. 122) in deal for No. 9 overall (DT Jalen Carter)
- Deshaun Watson trade also involved Texans obtaining Browns‘ 2024 fourth (No. 123)
- 49ers acquired fourth-round pick from Cowboys (No. 124) for QB Trey Lance
- T.J. Hockenson trade gave Vikings fourth (No. 129) from Lions
- Jets acquired No. 135 from Ravens in Morgan Moses trade
Round 5
- Browns landed Panthers‘ 2024 fifth-rounder in trade for QB Baker Mayfield
- Mayfield failing to play 70% of Carolina’s 2022 offensive snaps converted pick from fourth to fifth
- Browns traded No. 136 to Broncos for WR Jerry Jeudy
- Mayfield failing to play 70% of Carolina’s 2022 offensive snaps converted pick from fourth to fifth
- Panthers obtained No. 141 from Giants in Brian Burns trade
- Panthers hold Titans‘ 2024 fifth (No. 142) through deal for OL Dennis Daley
- Bills acquired No. 144 from Bears in exchange for OL Ryan Bates
- Pick swap in 2022 Jacob Martin trade gave Broncos fifth (No. 145) from Jets
- Eagles collected Vikings‘ 2024 fifth in 2022 trade for WR Jalen Reagor
- WR failing to meet catch 40 passes or hit 500-yard receiving mark converted pick from fourth to fifth
- Titans obtained No. 146 from Eagles in exchange for S Kevin Byard
- WR failing to meet catch 40 passes or hit 500-yard receiving mark converted pick from fourth to fifth
- Commanders acquired No. 152 from Seahawks in Sam Howell swap
- Kevin Dotson pick-swap deal sent Rams fifth (No. 155) from Steelers
- Jonathan Gannon tampering resolution gave Cardinals fifth-rounder from Eagles
- Browns acquired No. 156 from Cardinals in exchange for QB Josh Dobbs
- Vikings acquired Browns fifth (No. 157) in pick-swap trade for DE Za’Darius Smith
- Chiefs hold Cowboys’ 2024 fifth (No. 159) after trade for 2023 No. 178 pick (CB Eric Scott Jr.)
- Rasul Douglas trade sent Bills No. 160 from Packers
- In exchange for 2023 No. 191 pick (WR Trey Palmer), Eagles hold Buccaneers‘ fifth (No. 161)
- Cardinals received Texans‘ fifth-rounder (No. 162) exchange for OL Josh Jones
- Panthers‘ four-pick haul for RB Christian McCaffrey included 49ers‘ 2024 fifth
- Giants obtained No. 166 from Panthers in Brian Burns swap
- For 2023 No. 119 choice (CB Chamarri Conner), Vikings acquired Chiefs‘ 2024 fifth (No. 167)
Round 6
- Jaguars picked up Panthers‘ 2024 sixth in exchange for WR Laviska Shenault
- Vikings added No. 177 from Jaguars for G Ezra Cleveland
- Panthers received Cardinals‘ 2024 sixth for WR Robbie Chosen
- Steelers added No. 178 from Panthers in Diontae Johnson–Donte Jackson deal
- Seahawks added Commanders‘ sixth (No. 179) in Sam Howell trade
- Eagles obtained Titans‘ 2024 sixth in pick swap for DB Ugo Amadi
- Titans reacquired pick (No. 182) from Eagles in Kevin Byard deal
- Dolphins landed sixth-round choice (No. 184) from Bears for G Dan Feeney
- Cardinals acquired No. 186 from Vikings for QB Josh Dobbs
- Patriots acquired Raiders‘ 2024 sixth-rounder for OL Justin Herron
- Vikings received Patriots’ sixth for T Vederian Lowe
- Texans obtained No. 188 from Vikings in deal for 2024 first-round pick
- Vikings received Patriots’ sixth for T Vederian Lowe
- Rams acquired 2024 sixth from Broncos in October 2021 exchange for LB Kenny Young
- Bills collected sixth from Rams in exchange for 2023 No. 215 choice (RB Zach Evans)
- Texans picked up No. 189 from Bills in Stefon Diggs trade
- Bills collected sixth from Rams in exchange for 2023 No. 215 choice (RB Zach Evans)
- Patriots acquired No. 193 from Jaguars for QB Mac Jones
- Falcons obtained Browns’ 2024 sixth (No. 197) for LB Deion Jones
- Saints received Eagles’ sixth (No. 199) in exchange for S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
- Texans acquired sixth-rounder from Cowboys for WR Brandin Cooks
- Bills acquired No. 200 from Texans for 2023 No. 205 choice (WR Xavier Hutchinson)
- Buccaneers picked up No. 201 from Lions for CB Carlton Davis
- Deshaun Watson trade included Browns picking up Texans‘ 2024 sixth
- Broncos acquired seventh from Browns in Jerry Jeudy deal
- Jets land No. 203 from Broncos in pick-swap deal for QB Zach Wilson
- Broncos acquired seventh from Browns in Jerry Jeudy deal
- In trade for 2023 No. 229 pick (OL Andrew Vorhees), Browns picked up No. 206 from Ravens
- In pick-swap deal involving DE Randy Gregory, Broncos collected No. 207 from 49ers
- Intra-AFC West trade sent Raiders No. 208 from Chiefs for DL Neil Farrell
- Ravens picked up No. 218 from Jets in Morgan Moses trade
Round 7
- Dennis Daley pick swap sent Titans seventh from Panthers
- Chiefs acquired No. 221 from Titans for CB L’Jarius Sneed
- Raiders obtained No. 223 from Patriots in Justin Herron deal
- In Josh Jones pick-swap trade, Texans obtained Cardinals’ seventh-round choice
- Cardinals acquired Giants‘ seventh-rounder (No. 226) for LB Isaiah Simmons
- Browns obtain No. 227 from Titans in exchange for T Leroy Watson
- Ravens picked up No. 228 from Jets for S Chuck Clark
- Raiders added No. 229 from Vikings for QB Nick Mullens
- Patriots added seventh in July 2022 trade that sent WR N’Keal Harry to Bears
- Browns picked up seventh from Falcons in pick-swap deal involving LB Deion Jones
- Cardinals acquired pick from Browns in Joshua Dobbs deal
- Vikings landed No. 230 from Cardinals in second 2023 trade involving Dobbs
- Cardinals acquired pick from Browns in Joshua Dobbs deal
- Patriots picked up No. 231 from Bears in exchange for WR N’Keal Harry
- 49ers acquired seventh from Broncos in Randy Gregory deal
- Texans obtained pick from 49ers in exchange for DT Maliek Collins
- Vikings hold No. 232 after pick-swap deal with Texans
- Texans obtained pick from 49ers in exchange for DT Maliek Collins
- In pick-swap trade for DT Johnathan Hankins, Cowboys acquired Raiders‘ 2024 seventh (No. 233)
- Texans added No. 238 from Saints in 2021 trade for RB Mark Ingram
- Kenny Young trade sent Broncos seventh-rounder from Rams
- In Diontae Johnson-for-Donte Jackson deal, Panthers acquired No. 240 from Steelers
- As part of Ugo Amadi swap, Eagles obtained seventh (No. 242) from Titans
- L’Jarius Sneed trade sent Titans No. 252 from Chiefs
- Zach Wilson swap gives Broncos No. 256 from Jets
49ers Notes: Gipson, Purdy, Yiadom, Mond
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
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
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
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.