Two decisions made by the 49ers will mostly impact their special teams. According to a team statement, wide receiver Chris Conley has re-signed for a one-year contract. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch also reports that cornerback Chase Lucas has signed a one-year contract.
Conley joined San Francisco in the summer with the intention of providing the team with a complementary passing option and maybe special team help. In several of his prior stops, the 31-year-old has not been a mainstay when it came to third phase duties. It represented the majority of Conley’s workload for the year 2023, drawing just eight targets in total between regular and postseason play.
With the 49ers, the former third-round selection saw his greatest-ever snap share of 36% on special teams. Conley had two tackles in the Super Bowl as a gunner, among his other accomplishments in that area, and it is reasonable to anticipate that he will play the same position in 2024. In the passing game, he might also offer a vertical threat to the reliable starting trio of wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings.
In 2022, Lucas joined the league as a draft pick for the Lions. In his eighteen games with Detroit, he did not play a defensive snap, but he emerged as a vital special team player last season in particular. In terms of third phase playing time, the 27-year-old had a 72% snap share, but that was insufficient to earn him an ERFA tender. Lucas, who is free to sign with any team, has decided to go to the Bay Area in 2024.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin, a linebacker and the recently elected NFLPA president, received a two-year contract extension with the Lions that includes unprecedented special teams player pay. Given the significant expenditures expended to keep him, it is not surprising that Detroit was willing to let Lucas leave.
In the event that the former does not materialize, he will likely continue to be a vital member of San Francisco’s special teams. He might offer depth in the 49ers’ secondary.
