By Matt Barrows, Jeff Howe and Dianna Russini

The San Francisco 49ers have told Kyle Juszczyk that they are releasing the Pro Bowl fullback, league and team sources informed The Athletic on Monday night.

Juszczyk, who turns 34 in late April, has been named to nine consecutive Pro Bowls, giving the 49ers a unique threat who can block while also being a weapon in the passing game.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder has caught at least 14 passes in 11 consecutive seasons, including 30 as recently as 2021.

💔🧃

— George Kittle (@gkittle46) March 11, 2025

49ers lose a leader … unless he comes back

Juszczyk’s departure leaves the 49ers without a fullback and removes a player who’s been a major figure in the locker room since the beginning of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch regime. Juszczyk was part of a big free-agent haul in 2017, when Lynch and Shanahan tried to revitalize the 49ers’ moribund roster. He also was the most controversial considering how much the 49ers were spending — it was a four-year deal worth $21 million — on a position that was being phased out of the NFL.

The money, at least until recently, turned out to be well spent. Juszczyk made the Pro Bowl in all eight seasons he was in San Francisco and was a favorite at Levi’s Stadium, where the crowd chanted “JUUUUICE!” every time he got a carry or caught a pass. Jusczyk, who played in all 17 games last season, has been adamant that his skills haven’t diminished and he will look for a place with another team that needs a fullback.

The 49ers? There’s at least some chance that Juszczyk ultimately comes back after testing the market. But after signing tight end Luke Farrell earlier in the day, the 49ers seem poised to be a team that uses two tight ends more than it does a running back and fullback. — Matt Barrows

(Photo: Matt Kartozian / Imagn Images)