A 49ers free agent has crossed enemy lines.
Former San Francisco tight end Eric Saubert signed an undisclosed contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, the 49ers’ NFC West rival announced.
Saubert only spent the 2024 NFL season with San Francisco. He appeared in 17 games – three starts – and caught 11 of 14 targets for 97 yards and one touchdown with an average of 8.8 yards per reception.
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A new tight end in the 206. We've signed TE Eric Saubert.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) March 24, 2025
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Saubert, a Drake College product, is entering his ninth campaign after being selected No. 174 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He later played with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans before signing a free-agent deal with the 49ers last offseason.
The 31-year-old Saubert has just 69 receptions for 389 yards and three scores over 101 career appearances. A blocking specialist, he’ll likely do more blocking than receiving in the Seahawks’ new-look offense, which will highlight Brock Purdy’s former backup and free-agent quarterback signee Sam Darnold.
“It’s something I really had to work on when I got to the league,” Saubert said about blocking on Sep. 20. “Drake was obviously a very different level of football, so coming in, I had a lot to learn in that respect. But it’s something we’re always working on. It’s never easy. It just takes repetition and doing it against the best people in the world at their position.”
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Saubert did plenty of blocking as star 49ers tight end George Kittle’s backup last season. The skill has helped Saubert stay in the NFL for nearly a decade, and surely will be something San Francisco will keep in mind when facing Seattle twice during the looming 2025 season.