The San Francisco 49ers made one of the bigger splashes on Day 1 of free agency, signing wide receiver Mike Evans to a three-year deal. Consequently, they didn’t see many of their own free agents depart, with the lone one being Kendrick Bourne heading to the Arizona Cardinals on a two-year deal.
Well, the 49ers lost another free agent on Tuesday, as wide receiver and returner Skyy Moore is signing a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers. Moore was a key special-teamer for the 49ers last year, averaging 27.5 yards per kick return and 11.6 yards per punt return.
The Packers did lose wide receiver Romeo Doubs earlier in the day to the New England Patriots. With Doubs gone and Moore in the fold, their current receiver room is led by Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, and Moore.
The 49ers special-teams unit saw considerable growth last year, specifically as the year went on, but they’ll be searching for a new returner once again with Moore heading elsewhere. Prior to the start of the last season, San Francisco traded a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Moore and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
With him gone, San Francisco has now lost two free-agent receivers, with another (Jauan Jennings) likely to depart in free agency as well. Currently, the 49ers’ top wide receivers are: Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, and Jacob Cowing.
If the 49ers are looking to rely on their younger players, perhaps Cowing or Watkins could fill one or both of the returner roles next year. But they’ve both struggled with injuries early in their NFL careers and have yet to show they can stay on the field.
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