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San Francisco 49ers News & Rumors

DT Khalil Davis Retires

July 21st, 2025 at 10:21am CST by Adam La Rose

Khalil Davis remains unsigned as training camps open around the league. In lieu of continuing to pursue a free agent deal, the defensive tackle is hanging up his cleats.

Davis’ agent informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday of the news. As a result of the decision to end his NFL career, Davis will depart the league at the age of 28. His brother Carlos Davis has not officially retired but he last played in the regular season in 2022 and did not catch on with a team after being among the Bengals’ final cuts last summer.

Khalil Davis was selected one round earlier than his brother in the 2020 draft. Joining Tampa Bay as a sixth-rounder, he made a pair of regular season appearances with the team. Midway through the following season, however, Davis was waived. He played one game with the Colts before bouncing around the Steelers, Rams and Buccaneers’ practice squads.

The Nebraska product signed with the Texans ahead of the 2023 campaign, and it was with Houston that his largest workload emerged. Davis made 24 regular season appearances with the team; in 2023 his defensive snap share of 41% was the highest of his career. He remained with the Texans through the beginning of last season and remained a rotational member of the team’s defensive line. Davis was dealt to the 49ers just before the trade deadline, and he finished out the campaign in San Francisco as a result.

As a member of the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl win in 2020, Davis departs the game with a championship to his name. He added just over $4MM in career earnings while making a combined total of 34 regular and postseason appearances.

49ers Release S George Odum

July 19th, 2025 at 7:23pm CST by Ely Allen

7:23pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Odom underwent offseason elbow surgery. That explains his recent NFI designation as well as the decision to release him. Odom should be sidelined for another six to eight weeks, per Rapoport; once healthy, he will be a candidate to re-sign with San Francisco.

4:58pm: Days after placing him on the active/non-football injury list with an undisclosed ailment, the 49ers have made the decision to release veteran safety George Odum, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Though, never a true starter in the San Francisco secondary, Odum earned second-team All-Pro honors as a special teamer in his first season with the team.

Odum’s special teams play was the reason that he found a home in the NFL to begin with. As an undrafted safety out of Central Arkansas in 2018, Odum signed with the Colts and made the initial 53-man roster because of his contributions on special teams. As a selfless, hard-working contributor, Odum was often called off the bench for spot starts and fill-in duty in the secondary. In his third season in Indianapolis, Odum was named as the first-team All-Pro special teamer in recognition of his contributions.

In the final year of his rookie contract in Indy, Odum started seven games due to injuries to starters Julian Blackmon and Andrew Sendejo. Still, when his contract expired, Odum signed with San Francisco because of his special teams abilities. In his first two years with the 49ers, he didn’t see any extended time on defense, almost solely working on special teams. Last year, though, Talanoa Hufanga‘s absence forced Odum into the starting lineup for the first two games of the season, and he got time in a Week 6 game in Seattle, as well, when Malik Mustapha exited early with an injury.

Odum hasn’t been immune to injuries himself, though, these past two seasons. His 2023 campaign ended after 11 games when he suffered a torn biceps injury, and he only played 12 games last year because of a knee injury late in the season.

Odum’s release continues an offseason of special teams changes under new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. The team is already heading into the 2025 season with a new longsnapper and punter, and veteran kicker Greg Joseph was brought in as some offseason competition for Jake Moody, as well. Odum was just the latest special teamer to fall under the new position coach.

Still, Odum is an extremely talented special teams asset, and for teams in need of depth at safety, Odum’s three interceptions, nine passes defensed, and four forced fumbles in limited time are nothing to scoff at. Expect a few teams to kick the tires on Odum and evaluate his health in the runup to the 2025 regular season.

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/18/25

July 18th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL transactions as we head into the weekend:

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

San Francisco 49ers

The Lions have added three players to the roster today after a working them out. Bootle has had a cup of coffee with a few teams in the league after going undrafted in 2021. Small didn’t see the field at all as an undrafted rookie with the Titans last year, and Russell becomes the latest undrafted rookie free agent to sign a deal this year. His tenacity has been rewarded two and a half months after the draft.

49ers Sign Second-Round DT Alfred Collins

July 16th, 2025 at 10:56pm CST by Ely Allen

It’s the 49ers to the rescue! After waiting in a holding pattern since May 9, we’ve finally seen a third second-round pick sign their rookie contract. Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins is the player to break the standstill after signing his rookie contract with the 49ers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

San Francisco doubled down on improving its defensive line after selecting Mykel Williams in the first round the night before. Many expected the 49ers to address the interior of the line on Day 1, but Collins fell to them in the second round all the same. A fifth-year senior (thanks to an extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 season), Collins made impacts early and often as a contributor on the Longhorns defense.

Despite only starting 12 games in his first four years, Collins found plenty of ways to make an impact with 12.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and six passes defensed over that time. He became a full-time starter for the first time in 2025 and made the most of his opportunity, setting career highs in tackles (55), tackles for loss (5.5), and passes defensed (7). He serves as more of a run stopper than a pass rusher, but he’s an elite tackler with impressive durability.

The losses of Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins were a big reason that many expected San Francisco to go for an interior defensive lineman early. Jordan Elliott returns as a starter to the line’s interior from last year, but the spot next to him is currently being manned by Kevin Givens, who started 11 games in 2022 but has only started two since. It didn’t take long for the Niners to express hopes that Collins would be able to step into a starting role next to Elliott soon.

Normally, this post would stop here, after focusing on the 49ers wrapping up their draft class signings and showing how Collins can affect the roster in 2025, but this signing has a bigger impact on the NFL outside of the Bay Area. Collins’ signing could create a domino effect of signings for the other 29 second-round picks who remained unsigned around the league.

After the Texans and Browns awarded Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger, respectively, fully guaranteed contracts, Saints second-round pick Tyler Shough became the rookie to watch. As a quarterback, Shough sought the same guarantees as his fellow second-rounders. This left pick Nos. 35-39, between Higgins and Shough, sitting on their hands, waiting to see if Shough was granted those guarantees, ready to demand the same of their teams as players drafted higher than Shough.

The rest of the second round has been in a holding pattern, as well. In theory, T.J. Sanders, picked just after Shough, would be able to at least try to get the same from Buffalo, if not just under. That strategy would theoretically have continued pick after pick, with each player using the rookie ahead of them as the comparison to work off of. Collins, though, has broken the hold, receiving guarantees for $9MM of his $10.3MM deal, an 88-percent guarantee. Everyone ahead of him will likely continue to wait on Shough, but the rest of the second round can now start to use Collins’ deal as a launching point. This should result in several second-round deals being made in the days to come.

With that out of the way, here’s a final look at the 49ers’ fully signed rookie class:

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/16/25

July 16th, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Ely Allen

With rookies starting to report for training camp, we’ve got a good number of minor moves for the first time in a while today:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Smith, a former fourth-round pick out of Northern Iowa for the Giants, has decided to hang up his cleats, putting an end to an unfortunately injury-marred career at 26 years old. After opening up his rookie season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury early in training camp, Smith played eight games as a rookie before suffering a neck injury that sent him back to IR. New York held out hope, activating him off of IR eight games into his sophomore campaign, but ultimately, Smith returned to IR after only five more games.

After the Giants waived him early in training camp in 2023, Smith found his way to the Jets’ practice squad in mid-October but was released at the turn of the month. Three weeks later he signed to the practice squad of the Raiders, with whom he would finish the season and sign a reserve/futures deal. Las Vegas, though, waived him with an injury designation before finalizing their 53-man roster for 2024. Smith rebounded once more with the Browns, and thanks to two gameday practice squad elevations, Smith played in two games last season — his first since 2022 — and signed a futures deal in Cleveland.

Injuries to his legs and neck early in his career derailed a career for Smith that was never really able to get going. Unfortunately, the former first-team FCS All-American’s playing time has come to an early end.

Ross reportedly asked for his release from the Chiefs, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The once promising Clemson star who totaled 1,000 yards with nine touchdowns as a freshman and 865 yards with eight touchdowns as a sophomore continues to struggle in his return to football stardom. After missing the 2020 season due to surgery addressing a congenital fusion condition of his neck and spine, Ross only amassed 524 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his final year with the Tigers before going undrafted in 2022.

Despite injuries leaving the Chiefs pretty thin at receiver at times in the past few years, Ross never was able to step up and take a spot on the offense. When his undrafted contract expired and he’d only seen action in 12 games and caught six passes totaling 53 yards, Ross signed the exclusive rights tender the team placed on him, as his only other option would’ve been to not play in 2025. Instead, he approached Kansas City with a request to be released, and the Chiefs acquiesced. The 25-year-old will go to the waiver wire, and if no teams claim him, he’ll be able to sign anywhere he wants.

49ers WR Jauan Jennings Seeking Extension Or Trade

July 14th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

10:10pm: Despite his desire for a new contract, Jennings is expected to report for training camp on July 22, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. While he may seek a trade if the 49ers refuse to meet his contract demands, he still plans to show up next week to avoid a mandatory fine of $50K per day.

8:53am: Jauan Jennings has developed into a key figure in the 49ers’ passing attack during his tenure with the team. The veteran wideout is dissatisfied with his current arrangement in San Francisco, however.

Jennings is seeking either a 49ers extension or a trade to a new team, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Team and player worked out a two-year deal last spring which took the place of his second-round RFA tender. As a result, Jennings is currently a pending 2026 free agent.

The 28-year-old is scheduled to collect $3.28MM in salary guarantees in 2025 as things stand. Jennings is also on track to receive an option bonus of $1.12MM on September 1. A resolution to this situation will presumably take place prior to that date.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, Jennings did not see any playing time as a rookie. Over the following three years, he operated as a complementary option in the passing game behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel on the depth chart. In the wake of signing his pact last offseason, Jennings took on an increased role. Aiyuk’s ACL tear opened the door to more targets for the Tennessee product, and he posted career highs across the board (77 catches, 975 yards, six touchdowns).

Samuel has since been traded, and Aiyuk is on course to miss at least some time to begin the 2025 campaign. Jennings is thus in position to once again serve as a central figure on offense, and his success in that capacity last year is driving efforts to land another new pact (and an accompanying raise, no doubt). Schefter adds Jennings plans to request a trade if no extension is worked out ahead of next week’s training camp.

That leaves a small window of opportunity for both parties to come to an agreement, although Schefter notes progress has been limited so far with respect to contract talks. Jennings is not expected to engage in a training camp holdout in any case, as remaining absent from the team would lead to mandatory fines. It would come as no surprise if Jennings opted for a hold-in and thus avoided participation in any on-field work, though.

The 49ers are certainly no stranger to contract drama, especially at the receiver spot. Samuel previously requested a trade before ultimately working out an extension. Aiyuk was the subject of a long-running saga last summer as he agreed to the terms of a Steelers contract but wound up remaining in San Francisco on a big-ticket deal. Jennings does not have the profile of those two based on his statistics to date, but he too is angling for a new commitment or a fresh start if one does not materialize.

Kyle Juszczyk On Steelers Interest, 49ers Stay

July 12th, 2025 at 9:43am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Despite taking a visit to the Steelers, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk never wanted to leave San Francisco when he was briefly made a free agent in March.

“It was the worst three days of my life, but I’m genuinely grateful for it now,” said Jusczyzk in an interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. Even though he knew “the door wasn’t shut” when he was released by the 49ers, he still said his goodbyes and considered other options.

While there was interest from other teams, Juszczyk accepted an invitation from the Steelers and met with head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“It was a different experience,” said Juszczyk of his visit to Pittsburgh. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff.”

However, Juszcyzk could not envision himself playing anywhere except San Francisco, and a few days later, he signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal to return for his ninth season with the 49ers. With $7MM of guaranteed money – including $3.15MM in the second year – he is confident that he will not have to deal with a similar situation next offseason.

Instead, he will have two more years as a moveable blocking and receiving weapon in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, which is expecting a bounce-back year with the return of Christian McCaffrey.

Jusczyzk said that McCaffrey is “arguably the best player in the NFL” and “changes everything” for the 49ers offense. Both participated in the team’s offseason workouts, though McCaffrey’s workload is being carefully managed after his recent injury woes.

“He looks so healthy, he looks so explosive,” said Juszcyzk.

TE George Kittle Addresses 49ers Extension

July 11th, 2025 at 4:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

George Kittle landed another 49ers extension this offseason, and he is now tied to the team through 2029. The All-Pro tight end did not enjoy an entirely smooth process during negotiations, but he is satisfied to be in position to finish his career in San Francisco.

When reflecting on his pact – a four-year, $76.4MM deal – Kittle informed ESPN’s Nick Wagoner it would be “fair to say” team and player dealt with an initial dispute over his value. The 31-year-old’s previous pact carried an average annual value of $15MM, but his new one checks in at $19.1MM in compensation per year. That means he is once again the league’s top earner amongst tight ends.

Amidst uncertainty over his future, Kittle drew trade interest from at least one team just before April’s draft. An offer of a second-round pick was rejected, and shortly after the draft concluded the extension was in place. As a result, Kittle is set to remain a focal point on offense in 2025 and beyond.

“It’s somewhere that I want to be for as long as I possibly can be because I go to work every single morning and I look up and I’m walking into Levi’s Stadium as my office,” the six-time Pro Bowler said. “I am just so beyond lucky and I am so happy to be able to be here for longer.”

Kittle has spent his entire career with the 49ers, and when healthy he has been a critical member of the team’s offense. The Iowa product has topped 1,000 yards four times in eight seasons; his 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns from 2024 were the second-highest total of his career. Remaining available should allow Kittle to continue producing as one of the league’s best at his position for years to come.

As the 49ers look to bounce back from last season’s underwhelming campaign, they will do so without Deebo Samuel at the receiver spot. Brandon Aiyuk is a strong candidate to miss the first four games of the season, so especially early on in the campaign Kittle’s level of play will be key. If he manages to remain productive during that period and beyond, more deep postseason runs could be in store over the length of his latest contract.

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Likely To Land On Active/PUP List

July 11th, 2025 at 10:17am CST by Adam La Rose

An ACL tear limited Brandon Aiyuk to seven games last season. Given the timing of the injury, it has long been a question with respect to when the 49ers wideout will be able to return to action in 2025.

Time still remains for Aiyuk to continue making progress in his recovery, but at this point it remains unlikely he will be in the lineup at the start of the campaign. During an appearance on KNBR, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed (via 49ers WebZone) a stint on the reserve/PUP list would come as no surprise in this case. Moving Aiyuk to that list would ensure at least a four-game absence to begin the campaign.

However, Maiocco added Aiyuk’s knee remains ahead of schedule, an update which has been provided more than once this offseason. As a result, the door could still be open to the 27-year-old suiting up in Week 1. The 49ers have made it clear they are satisfied with their current group of receivers – a unit which no longer includes Deebo Samuel – heading into 2025. That is based in large part on the team’s confidence Aiyuk will manage to return to his previous form in short order.

The Arizona State product’s receiving totals increased during each of his first four seasons in San Francisco, including 1,342 in 2024. That improvement made Aiyuk an extension priority for the 49ers, although the long-running process of working out a second contract included a trade agreement being reached which would have sent him to the Steelers. In the end, a four-year pact was signed carrying an average annual value of $30MM to keep Aiyuk in the Bay Area. That makes him one of eight wideouts attached to an AAV of $30MM or more.

Expectations will thus remain high whenever Aiyuk manages to return to the field. The former first-rounder will be tasked with leading a pass-catching group which still features tight end George Kittle and veteran Jauan Jennings but has seen a number of changes in recent years. 2024 No. 31 pick Ricky Pearsall and free agent signing Demarcus Robinson are among the receivers who will be expected to carve out notable roles on offense, particularly while Aiyuk is sidelined.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already said Aiyuk will miss the beginning of training camp, but his ongoing rehab process will be worth watching closely. In the lead-in to the start of the campaign, a decision will need to be made to place him on the reserve/PUP list or leave him on the active roster in the hopes he will be available earlier than Week 5. It will be interesting to see if progress in the coming weeks alters the team’s thinking in this case.

49ers WR Demarcus Robinson Pleads No Contest To DUI Charge

July 10th, 2025 at 1:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Demarcus Robinson was arrested on a DUI charge in November, and a formal charge was laid in January. The veteran receiver’s legal process on that front has now reached a conclusion.

Robinson entered a plea of no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge earlier this week, as detailed by ESPN.com. As a result of the agreement, separate charges of driving with a BAC of 0.08 or higher and driving without a valid license were dismissed. Robinson will not serve any jail time and will pay a fine of $390 while serving three years probation.

“Mr. Robinson has taken this process extremely seriously by already completing most of the terms of his probation,” attorney Jacqueline Sparagna said after the hearing concluded. “We expect that his probation will terminate early at the 18-month mark after which his case will be expunged.”

The Rams allowed Robinson to continue playing as his case progressed, and he finished the year with career-bests in multiple statistical categories. He then signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the 49ers this offseason and could be in line to start at the beginning of the year as the team awaits the return of Brandon Aiyuk.

A suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy could interrupt those plans. In 2023, Saints safety Marcus Maye was suspended for three games after entering a no contest plea for a 2021 DUI charge, consistent with league policy, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. Robinson would appear to be subject to the same punishment, though that may depend on the specific circumstances of his case, including his pleading down to a misdemeanor.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this article.

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