Breaking down the 90 players on the 49ers’ offseason roster in 90 posts (over 90 or so days). Today is wide receiver Demarcus Robinson
The San Francisco 49ers signed Demarcus Robinson this offseason, despite knowing the veteran was facing a “likely” three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy related to a DUI arrest from November 2024, where Robinson was arrested for speeding and driving under the influence.
If Robinson’s suspension holds up, that means he’ll miss two divisional games and leave the 49ers with only Jauan Jennings as an established veteran among the receiver core. While Robinson’s absence would be a temporary blow to a team getting used to not having Deebo Samuel and still without the services of Brandon Aiyuk, nobody would confuse Seattle, New Orleans, or Arizona for an elite secondary.
San Francisco signed Robinson to make an impact for 17 games. The good news is that he can still, even if he misses September.
Basic Info
Age: 31
Experience: 9 accrued seasons
Height: 6’1
Weight: 203 pounds
Cap Status
Robinson signed a two-year deal with the 49ers this offseason worth $8 million, including $6 million fully guaranteed. That would be the largest contract Robinson signed as a pro, and double the amount that the Los Angeles Rams gave him in 2024.
Robinson has a signing bonus of $2.32 million as well as an option bonus of $2.09 million. The 49ers added four ghost years onto Robinson’s deal to help with cap purposes. So, he’ll earn $464,000 of that signing bonus through 2029, and $418,000 of his signing bonus, which will be paid through 2030.
What will be Robinson’s role?
Kyle Shanahan isn’t going to reinvent the wheel with Robinson. He had a career high in receiving yards last season under Sean McVay. The prevailing thought might be due to injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but some of Robinson’s most targeted games happened when those two were in the lineup.
Robinson’s best game of the season came in Week 9 on the road against Seattle, when both Nacua and Kupp were in the lineup. Robinson had six receptions on eight targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks.
One area where Robinson should certainly help the Niners is in the red zone. He caught five of his ten targets — which were second on the team — last season, and each of those resulted in touchdowns. The one area where the Niners’ wide receivers struggled the most last season was when they got inside the 20-yard line.
Here’s a video of every target Robinson had against the NFC West in 2024. He ran just about everything, from shallow crossing routes to double moves down the field. That’s important so defenses don’t get to key on a singular route.
Not only does Robinson bring the threat of winning in the red zone, but he also proved that he can win at every level with the Rams. If I were to critique one part of his game, it’s winning after the catch on underneath routes.
Shanahan knows his personnel. Players like Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins all excel at creating after the catch. There’s no need to pepper targets to Robinson underneath since that’s not his strong suit.