The San Francisco 49ers have invested in the tight end position in recent years, most recently signing Vance McDonald to a five-year contract extension last fall. That followed signing Garrett Celek to a four-year extension last February, and spending a fourth round pick on Blake Bell in 2015. However, the change in coaching staff and front office means nobody is safe.
New head coach Kyle Shanahan might look to target some of his former players with the Atlanta Falcons, and tight end Jacob Tamme might be on the list. ESPN Falcons beat writer Vaughn McClure is reporting if Tamme does not re-sign with Atlanta, the 49ers could be a destination.
Tamme, coming off a two-year contract with the Falcons that had a base value of $2.9 million, didn’t want to speculate about other options, but multiple sources indicated San Francisco is a strong possibility if Tamme doesn’t re-sign with the Falcons. The 49ers are now coached by former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. There's little doubt Shanahan would love to have a cerebral player such as Tamme on board to help implement his offense, although the 49ers just re-signed tight end Vance McDonald to a five-year contract extension in December.
Tamme missed the second half of last season with an injury to the AC joint in his right shoulder. In 2015, he caught 59 passes for 657 yards, and got off to a strong start in 2016. He had 14 catches for 154 yards the first three games of the season. He did not have more than two catches in a game the next five games before suffering his injury. And looking at his career, it has been kind of all over the place as a pass-catcher.