The Niners released one of their longtime veterans this offseason before deciding to bring him back.
The San Francisco 49ers had a much different offseason than in years past, electing to move on from several veterans in an attempt to get younger.
They released starters Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd. They traded Deebo Samuel for draft compensation. And they let Dre Greenlaw, Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, Jaylon Moore, and others walk in free agency.
Another move they made with a veteran was releasing Kyle Juszczyk, creating $4.26 million in cap space. Juszczyk, the 49ers fullback since 2017, had been one of the longest-tenured players on the team. But, it seemed like San Francisco was going to let another one of their beloved veterans walk to get younger and cheaper.
However, just five days later, the two sides agreed to extend their partnership, with Juszczyk signing a two-year, $7.5 million deal with $7 million guaranteed.
How was the whirlwind of events for the veteran fullback?
“It was like a living funeral to see how many people reached out to me when I was released,” Juszczyk told NBC Sports Bay Area this past week. “And the things that they said, it really meant so, so much.”
After being released, the fullback started to receive significant interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was widely reported at the time. But, facing pressure, the 49ers brought him back, guaranteeing him $7 million in the process.
“It was a really unique situation to be able to come back after going through what was three of the worst days of my life,” Juszczyk said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “So it was a tough, tough process.
“But to get the chance to come back, to be home, to be with all those people that love me, that I love — I’m grateful for it.”
While there was naturally some hard feelings for the fullback initially after his release, Juszczyk knew that he wanted to remain in the Bay Area, bypassing the interest from Pittsburgh to re-sign with the 49ers.
“The Bay Area is my home,” Juszczyk said. “I absolutely love our team. I love our coaches. I love our facility. And for a second there, a fresh start was enticing. Any time a team releases you, asks you to take a pay cut, that type of thing, the natural instinct is a small part of you wants to stick it to them.
“But I got over that quickly. And I saw just how good we really do have it, and I just wasn’t ready to leave it. I’m so excited for what this team can do — this year and in the coming years. So I want to be a part of that.”
He’ll be the second-oldest 49er on the roster in 2025 behind only star left tackle Trent Williams, and will look to be a key contributor once again after seeing his offensive snap percentage slightly increase to 50 percent in 2024.
Juszczyk has made nine straight Pro Bowls, with the latter eight coming in San Francisco. He’ll be a clear favorite to earn his 10th in 2025 as long as health doesn’t come in the way.