George Odum was an All-Pro for the 49ers in 2022, but his time with the team has now come to an end after three seasons.
The 49ers made a significant move at the safety position days ahead of the start of training camp, announcing the release of veteran George Odum on Saturday.
Odum had on Friday been placed on the non-football injury list, though the 49ers did not disclose the nature of his injury. With his release, the 49ers will save $1.7 million against the cap.
A first-team All-Pro with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, Odum joined the 49ers in 2022 and was a second-team All-Pro in his first season. He played over 40 games in three seasons with San Francisco, primarily as a key member of the special teams.
Odum started the opening two games of the 2024 season at safety but struggled to impress, giving up a 97-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
His release is an indication of the 49ers’ comfort with their other options at safety, even with starter Malik Mustapha likely to miss the start of the 2025 campaign after suffering a torn ACL in Week 18 last year.
Ji’Ayir Brown and rookie fifth-rounder Marques Sigle each missed OTAs and minicamp through injury, but neither was placed on an injury list by the 49ers ahead of training camp.
Brown is a favorite to start Week 1 despite a disappointing second season in 2024, while defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has made no secret of his belief in Jason Pinnock, whom he drafted for the New York Jets. Pinnock was signed by the 49ers in free agency and is a frontrunner to start in Mustapha’s absence.
Richie Grant, another free agent signing, has significant special teams experience, and Jaylen Mahoney also saw some action in that area of the game in his rookie year.
With Mustapha on the shelf, the 49ers’ starting options at safety look a little unconvincing, but they clearly have enough bases covered in terms of backups and special teams candidates to feel comfortable bidding farewell to Odum.