Eric Wright announces retirement from NFL

Fooch's Update No. 2: Trent Baalke and Eric Wright both issued statements about his decision to retire

“Last night, Eric reached out to inform us of his plans to retire,” said 49ers general manager Trent Baalke. “After a lengthy discussion, it was evident he put a great deal of thought into his decision. Eric has our full support and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

“After seven NFL seasons, I am announcing my retirement from professional football,” said Wright. “Playing was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, but as I prepared for the coming season, I realized that I no longer had the same passion I once had for the game. The San Francisco 49ers have given me an amazing opportunity to play for the team I grew up rooting for, and I owe the York family, my coaches, and my teammates tremendous gratitude. I will be forever grateful to all of the franchises I was lucky enough to play for, and look forward to beginning the next phase of my life, and spending more time with my family.”

Fooch's Update: Mike Garafolo reporting Wright will file paperwork to retire.

49ers say CB Eric Wright is pondering retirement. Well ponder no more. Source says he will file paperwork today to officially retire.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 17, 2014

The San Francisco 49ers opened minicamp today, and the list of absences unexpectedly includes cornerback Eric Wright. Head coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned he was absent, and on follow-up, Coach Harbaugh said he believed Wright was pondering whether or not he would continue to play football. Coach Harbaugh said he had not spoken with Wright, but it sounds like Wright made this known to others in the organization. Wright was apparently in attendance at OTAs last week.

If Wright does leave the 49ers, the 49ers get an open roster spot, and it opens up the cornerback competition a little bit more. Through OTAs, Wright was getting second team snaps on the outside. Tramaine Brock and Chris Cook were getting first team snaps, with Perrish Cox and Darryl Morris splitting first and second team nickel work, respectively. Chris Culliver has gotten some work, but he has mostly focused on getting his knee to 100 percent for the start of training camp.

Wright's time with the 49ers has been a bit odd. The team acquired him via trade last July, and then the trade was voided. On August 8, the 49ers signed Wright, and immediately placed him on the Non-Football Injury list. On November 4, the 49ers activated Wright and released Perrish Cox. Wright got some work in, particularly when Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown got injured. Then when the playoffs arrived, Wright was replaced in the lineup by the recently re-signed Perrish Cox. Wright talked about having an injury and an illness during that time. The whole thing was just kind of odd, and if he ended up retiring this offseason, it would not be the most shocking development.