The San Francisco 49ers missed the opportunity to get recent restricted free agent tight end Brock Wright on Wednesday.
Instead, the Detroit Lions matched the 49ers offer as Wright signed a three-year, $12 million offer sheet according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Wright played for the Lions in the past three seasons, and the team matched the 49ers' offer sheet within five days.
San Francisco needs another tight end behind George Kittle after Charlie Woerner signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Wright would have brought solid experience as the No. 2 tight end to the Bay Area with his 43 receptions for 424 yards and seven touchdowns in 41 career games.
3 Possible Tight End Free Agent Options for 49ers
While there aren't younger big names on the open market, the 49ers could consider a few more well-known veterans over 30.
New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, aged 37, was previously one of the best at his position. He only had six catches for 39 yards and four touchdowns in 13 game appearances last season, but the Saints only paid him a minimal one-year contract of $1.31 million.
“Unsure of what the future holds for myself, but I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to wear [No.] 80 again and find the end zone in the only home I know,” Graham wrote on Instagram on March 29.
Once a Pro Bowler, Chicago Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis, aged 39, played in all 17 games but only had four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown on a one-year deal with the team. Overall, Lewis has 436 catches for 5,113 yards and 40 touchdowns in his 18-year career. $2 million “I want to play,” Lewis said
via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain in January . “I knew I wanted to play a month ago. My energy, my mind for it, my film.”Lastly, the 49ers could bring back tight end
, aged 32, who began his career with the team. Bell spent the past three seasons with the Blake BellKansas City Chiefs , and he has 65 catches for 667 yards and two touchdowns for his career. He had a one-year,$1.165 million deal with the team in 2023. 3 Tight Ends the 49ers Could Draft
San Francisco could do quite well by choosing a second tight end from the draft, working alongside Kittle.
The second-best tight end in the draft, Texas’
J’aTavion Sanders is considered “a Tier 1 athlete” according to Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema . Sanders had 99 catches for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns in the last two seasons for the Longhorns.“He is still mastering the specifics of tight end play, and he needs to consistently have a more aggressive approach as a blocker,” Sikkema wrote. “However, despite these concerns, what he offers as a vertical threat is worth a top-50 pick.”
Iowa tight end
could also be a target for the 49ers. PFF ranks him No. 103 on the big board and gives him a 72.4 grade for 2023. All had 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns last year. Erick All Ohio State’s
, ranked No. 113 on the big board, could also fill the void behind Kittle. Stover has 82 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons for the Buckeyes. Cade Stover“Stover is a well-rounded, well-versed football player whose natural athletic ability and fundamentally sound approach to the position should make him a high-floor role player with potential to be a starting tight end,” Sikkema wrote.
The San Francisco 49ers did not acquire tight end Brock Wright, who is a restricted free agent, on Wednesday.
