According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, San Francisco 49ers center Weston Richburg, who missed all of last season, recently had hip surgery. There is no timetable for his return, and the NFL insider expects that the offensive lineman has played his last down in San Francisco.
#49ers center Weston Richburg recently had hip surgery, source said, and there is no timetable for his return. After not playing in 2020 due to other injuries and due $8.35M in 2021, it's likely that he's played his last down in SF. His future on the field is to be determined.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2021
Richburg, 29, suffered a torn patellar tendon during Week 14 of the 2019 season, landed on injured reserve, and missed the final stretch of San Francisco's impressive run toward its appearance in Super Bowl LIV. The offensive lineman started the 2020 season on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list and did not appear in a game.
Richburg had knee surgery after his 2019 injury and then shoulder surgery last year.
Pro Football Focus recently named Richburg as San Francisco's most likely cut candidate. A post-June 1 cut of Richburg would save the 49ers nearly $8 million while creating about $3.5 million in dead money.
"Richburg has not played to the level of his contract after signing a top-of-the-market deal to join the 49ers," wrote analyst Brad Spielberger, "and Kyle Shanahan was able to plug and play other guys without too much trouble, as Richburg missed the entire 2020 campaign."
San Francisco signed Richburg to a five-year, $47.5 million contract on March 14, 2018, and he started 15 games in his first season with the team. That came after four seasons with the New York Giants.
Richburg has 79 game appearances throughout his NFL career and started all but one of those appearances.