Written by Nick Wagoner at ESPN.com
The San Francisco 49ers’ makeover on offense won’t be limited to quarterbacks.
The Niners have informed wide receiver Torrey Smith of his forthcoming release, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Former NFL receiver Steve Smith Sr., now working for NFL Network, first reported the news via Twitter.
Moments after Steve Smith’s social media report, Torrey Smith tweeted:
Don’t be surprised when I’m back on track next year…….
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) March 6, 2017
Smith signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the 49ers in 2015, but his production in San Francisco hasn’t come close to what it was with the Baltimore Ravens. In two seasons with the Niners, Smith had 53 catches for 930 yards and seven touchdowns in 28 games. He led the NFL in 2015 by gaining 20.1 yards per reception.
Smith, who turned 28 in January, was scheduled to count $9.475 million against the salary cap in 2017, though the Niners will save about half of that because the remaining portion of his $8 million signing bonus will now accelerate to count toward this year’s cap.
Still, it’s clear that Smith’s release has little to do with saving money, since the NFLPA’s latest salary cap report showed the Niners with a little more than $90 million in space before subtracting Smith.
Over the past three years, Smith was the one big-ticket free agent the Niners signed after he averaged 53.3 catches, 898 yards and 7.5 touchdowns in his first four seasons with the Ravens.
Smith’s struggles in San Francisco haven’t all fallen on his shoulders, though, as his role in the offense varied while the Niners struggled to find consistent quarterback play. In Baltimore, Smith’s percentage of targets per route run was never less than 18 percent. With the Niners, that number dropped to 11.6 percent in 2015 and 12.7 percent last year.
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