Defensive end Cassius Marsh has high hopes for his future with the San Francisco 49ers. However, that doesn't mean he's quite ready to commit to the Bay Area. The former Seattle Seahawk and New England Patriot has seen enough transition during his career to know he shouldn't commit to one area so soon.
Marsh still calls Southern California his home (he played college football at UCLA) and is living out of a hotel during the 49ers' offseason program. And that's after San Francisco committed to him for another two years with a new deal in February.
"Hopefully, I'll be a Niner forever," Marsh recently told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The 49ers' show of faith in Marsh didn't end with a new contract. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan opted not to select a pass rusher in this year's draft.
"You've got to be pretty good to beat out Marsh," Shanahan said while explaining why the 49ers avoided a potential upgrade at the position.
Marsh was grateful for the gesture and his head coach's words.
"This right here gave me chills and almost brought tears to my eyes," wrote Marsh via Instagram following the draft and Shanahan's statement. "To go from never feeling appreciated and having to prove myself every single day. To [know] my Coaching staff and GM have my back and trust my work ethic and talent is an indescribable feeling."
The appreciation Marsh feels in San Francisco is something he lacked in New England. The Patriots traded for him on September 2, 2017, and his stint with the team lasted nearly three months. It was enough time for Marsh to realize he didn't want to be there.
"They asked me to do a bunch of stuff that I had never done: covering running backs and receivers and basically almost never rushing the passer, which is what I did in playing defensive line," Marsh said. "They don't have fun there. There's nothing fun about it. There's nothing happy about it. I didn't enjoy any of my time there, you know what I'm saying? It made me for the first time in my life think about not playing football because I hated it that much."
A meeting with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sealed his fate, and New England waived Marsh on November 21, 2017. The 49ers, who had earned just one victory at that point, claimed the defensive player.
"I confronted [Belichick] about all the things that were going on," Marsh said. "I won't get into detail, but it was B.S. things they were doing. I just wasn't a fan. And so I, basically, without asking to get cut, I kind of asked to get cut."
The 49ers remind Marsh more of his better days with Seattle than his turbulent time with New England. The Seahawks defense was a close-knit group, and he sees the same thing with his new teammates.
Three weeks before Marsh's arrival, another former Patriot joined the 49ers. San Francisco traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and Marsh could not be more enthusiastic about the reunion. Even before Garoppolo took the 49ers on a five-game winning streak to end the season, Marsh knew the former backup quarterback from New England was destined for big things.
"I already knew that was going to happen; I called it before anybody," said Marsh. "I knew because I was with the Patriots and he would shred our defense every day. He'd shred the first team every day, and it looked no different than when Tom (Brady) was on the field. He's a much better athlete than Tom; he's super disciplined and works hard. I'm very happy to have him as my quarterback."
Marsh believes in the 49ers, and the team believes in him. In his minimal role through six games with San Francisco last year, he registered 11 tackles and two sacks with two forced fumbles. The 49ers obviously believe Marsh is capable of big things and they are hoping to see that in 2018.