The San Francisco 49ers officially announced the signing of defensive tackle Earl Mitchell to a one-year deal, which was first reported on Tuesday by Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
To make roster room, the 49ers have released defensive back Antone Exum Jr.
The Houston Texans made Mitchell a third-round selection out of Arizona in 2010. He has recorded 268 combined tackles, 6.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, and a forced fumble through his nine NFL seasons.
Mitchell, 32, spent three seasons (2014-16) with the Miami Dolphins before initially signing with the 49ers in 2017. He remained with San Francisco for two seasons (2017-18), but the team declined to pick up his two-year option after the 2018 season.
Mitchell started 28 games during his two seasons with the 49ers. He spent the 2019 offseason with the Seattle Seahawks and appeared in all four preseason games before being released on August 31 and announcing his retirement on November 7.
Exum re-signed with the 49ers on December 4. He appeared in seven games and recorded two tackles on defense and three special teams tackles with San Francisco this season.