placeholder image

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports


NaVorro Bowman: ‘I feel like the 49ers is my home, and it’s the place that loved me from the start’

Jun 4, 2019 at 3:52 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman officially announced his retirement from the NFL. He and his family were on hand to observe the team's Tuesday practice from the sideline and even had the opportunity to break down the post-practice huddle.


Bowman spoke with reporters after practice. While he wasn't able to officially sign a one-day deal with the 49ers because the team would require a corresponding roster move, he was able to announce his retirement while spending the day with his former organization.

"I was a guy coming from District Heights, Maryland, and this was the organization that chose to let me play in the NFL," Bowman said. "I just felt like where you started is — no matter how things are going to go, relationships are going to go up and down all the time, but you always remember how it was.

"You remember the blood, sweat, and tears of the guys you played with, and the respect that you earned, that's not given to you. I feel like the 49ers is my home, and it's the place that loved me from the start. So I wanted to come back and retire as a Niner, and they welcomed me, so I'm glad it happened."

Bowman said that he had several opportunities to play last year, but the offers did not meet the linebacker's expectations.

"At the end of the day, I know who I am, I know what I'm worth, I know what you're going to ask me to do if I do sign this contract," Bowman said. "I just wanted to get compensated for that, and it wasn't working out, so I hung them up."

Bowman spent eight seasons in the NFL and all but the final 10 games of his career with the 49ers. He signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders on October 16, 2017, three days after being released by San Francisco.

Bowman insists there is no Ill-will about how things ended with the 49ers.

"Today was great," he said. "I wouldn't be here if I had any bad feelings towards anybody in the organization. I'm just glad everyone welcomed me with open arms."

Only one linebacker had a higher overall Pro Football Focus grade between 2011 and 2013 than Bowman's 91.8 — Patrick Willis. Bowman called the tandem with Willis among the best in NFL history.

"We honestly committed ourselves to the game, to our team, to one another," he said. "It didn't matter who got the tackle or who was making the call or whatever it may be."

Bowman suffered two major left leg injuries during a 13-month span starting in January of 2014. He sometimes wonders what his career might have looked like had those injuries never occurred.

"Maybe I'd be playing 12 or 13 years, a six-time All-Pro," Bowman said. "I don't know, but I was giving everything for my teammates. That's what happens."

You can watch the entire Bowman press conference below, courtesy of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's Grant Cohn.



Related News





Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

Anthony "Spice" Adams to announce 49ers' draft picks in 2nd and 3rd rounds

By Site Staff
2 hrs

NFL Communications has officially announced the "NFL legends and active players" who will announce selections during Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Representing the San Francisco 49ers will be former defensive tackle Anthony "Spice" Adams, who spent four seasons with the team and nine in the NFL. San Francisco selected Adams out of Penn State in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. The NFL's full announcement is below. In the NFL's continuous effort to connect the game's greats with the next generation of stars, NFL Legends and active players will add to the excitement of the 2024 NFL Draft by announcing various selections and participating in festivities in Detroit. Pro Football Hall of Famers Isaac


placeholder image

Report: Several teams inquiring about 49ers' Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk

By David Bonilla
3 mins

Brandon Aiyuk isn't the only San Francisco 49ers player being mentioned in trade chatter around the NFL. According to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, several teams are also reaching out to inquire about the availability of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. "In the course of trade conversations about Brandon Aiyuk, numerous teams are inquiring about fellow 49ers WR Deebo Samuel's availability," Silver reports. "The 49ers would likely have to be blown away by the offer to make that move. Fluid situation, though." In the course of trade conversations about Brandon Aiyuk, numerous teams are inquiring about fellow


placeholder image

Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan

By Marc Adams
Apr 20

We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room. We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are


placeholder image

Schrager mock draft has 49ers adding 'universally liked and respected' receiver

By David Bonilla
Apr 16

With only nine days remaining until the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager revealed his first mock draft of the year. While most might expect the San Francisco 49ers to target an offensive lineman, Schrager has the team bolstering its wide receiver corps with an SEC talent. Schrager has the 49ers using the No. 31 overall pick to select former Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey, whose 2023 campaign with the Bulldogs was limited by back and ankle injuries. "McConkey in the first round? Yes," Schrager wrote. "Above guys like Troy Franklin and Keon Coleman? Perhaps. I've spoken to a


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone