The San Francisco 49ers will be seeking their first win of the season when they kick off against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at University of Pheonix Stadium. When they do, two players on the 49ers sideline will be looking across the football field toward their former team. For the Cardinals, six players on the current roster spent time with the 49ers.
Below are the eight players who played against their current team's Sunday opponent.
Brian Hoyer
Quarterback Brian Hoyer was claimed off of waivers by the Cardinals in December of 2012. Hoyer played in two games for Arizona. The first came during Week 16 when he replaced quarterback Ryan Lindley for a game against the Chicago Bears. Then-Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt announced that Hoyer would start for the team's final game of the season against the 49ers. During his start, Hoyer completed 19 of his 34 passes for 225 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He was released the following May.
Hoyer, now in his ninth season, was signed by the 49ers at the start of free agency in March. He was declared the starting quarterback for the 2017 season and has completed 62 of his 99 passes for 624 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions for the 49ers through three games.
Asa Jackson
Cornerback Asa Jackson spent the 2016 offseason with the Cardinals but never actually played a regular season game with Arizona.
Jackson, who is in his fourth year in the NFL, spent time with several NFL teams before being signed by the 49ers in August. He appeared in all four of San Francisco's preseason games before being waived during roster cuts. However, Jackson was eligible for the 49ers' practice squad and was brought back the next day. On September 16, he was promoted to the 49ers' active roster.
Antoine Bethea
Safety Antoine Bethea was a three-year starter for the 49ers after being signed by the team in March of 2014. He was selected to his third Pro Bowl during his first season in San Francisco. During Bethea's time with the 49ers, he accumulated 240 total tackles, five interceptions, two sacks, 15 passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. He was released by the 49ers in March.
Two days after his departure from San Francisco, Bethea signed with the Cardinals. He has appeared in all three games for Arizona and started one. This season, Bethea has nine total tackles and one pass defensed. He is the second-highest graded defensive back for the Cardinals this season – behind just Tyvon Branch – according to Pro Football Focus.
Alex Boone
Guard Alex Boone spent seven seasons with the 49ers after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2009. During his time in San Francisco, he started 59 of the 77 games that he appeared in. Boone left the 49ers in March of 2016 after signing a four-year $26.8 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
Boone was released by the Vikings on September 2 after refusing to accept a pay cut. The Cardinals signed him three days later and he has started the last two games for Arizona. Boone will miss Sunday's game against his former team due to a chest injury.
Phil Dawson
Kicker Phil Dawson is in his 19th year in the NFL. He spent his first 14 with the Cleveland Browns before signing with the 49ers in March of 2013. Dawson spent four seasons in San Francisco before leaving for Arizona as a free agent in March.
Through three games this season, Dawson has completed five of his eight field goal attempts and all five of his extra point attempts.
Blaine Gabbert
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was the 49ers' starter for the team's first five games last season after winning an offseason competition against Colin Kaepernick. Gabbert passed for just 890 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions in those starts and won just one game. After proving to be ineffective during his time as a starter, he was benched in favor of Kaepernick.
Gabbert, whom the 49ers traded for in 2014 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, also started the final eight games of the 2015 season after Kaepernick was benched. He won three of those eight games.
Gabbert was signed to a one-year deal by the Cardinals in May. He is the third quarterback on the depth chart behind Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton.
Mike Iupati
Guard Mike Iupati was a first-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2010 and spent his first five NFL seasons in San Francisco. He started all 75 games that he appeared in with the 49ers and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times while with San Francisco.
Iupati was signed by Arizona in March of 2015 and once again made the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Cardinals. Over the past two seasons, he has started all 28 of the games that he appeared in but will miss Sunday's game with a tricep injury. Iupati requires surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow and will be placed on injured reserve.
Andy Lee
Punter Andy Lee was a sixth-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2004 and spent his first 11 NFL seasons in San Francisco. During that time, he was selected to three Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro three times. Lee was traded to the Cleveland Browns in June of 2015. Another trade in August of 2016 sent Lee to the Carolina Panthers but he was unable to finish that season due to a hamstring injury and was released earlier this month.
The Cardinals signed Lee to a two-year deal on September 4.