Safety Eric Weddle's time with the Baltimore Ravens has come to an end. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Tuesday that the Ravens are releasing the 12-year veteran.
San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk immediately got to work on recruiting Weddle, who will get a head start on free agency. Juszczyk spent one season, 2016, with Weddle in Baltimore before joining the 49ers.
MASSIVE loss for the @Ravens One team's loss is another team's gain tho! I've got an extra bedroom if you need it @weddlesbeard 😉 https://t.co/2VtYjfygIS
— Kyle Juszczyk (@JuiceCheck44) March 5, 2019
Weddle, 34, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time first-team All-Pro. The 49ers are expected to address the safety position this offseason and have long been expected to pursue former Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. Thomas, however, is looking to become the highest-paid safety in the league but is coming off of a broken a bone in his left leg. He hopes to surpass the $13 million annual salary of Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry.
The San Diego Chargers made Weddle a second-round selection out of Utah in 2007. He registered 68 combined tackles, a sack, and three passes defensed through 16 starts with the Ravens in 2018. Weddle has recorded 1,070 combined tackles, 9.5 sacks, 95 passes defensed, 29 interceptions, four touchdowns, and eight forced fumbles through his nine NFL seasons.
Weddle was set to enter the final year of his contract, which would have earned him a base salary of $6.5 million. He has started all 16 games in each of his past three seasons, all of which were with the Ravens. Weddle spent his previous nine NFL seasons with the Chargers.