According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the San Francisco 49ers are signing veteran wide receiver Marqise Lee. He took part in this weekend's rookie minicamp, trying out for the roster. The wideout obviously showed enough over the three practices to earn a contract.
Former #Jaguars and #Patriots WR Marqise Lee is signing with the #49ers today, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 17, 2021
San Francisco officially announced the signing a couple of hours after Rapoport's report. Lee received a one-year deal from the team.
To make room on the roster for Lee, the 49ers waived wide receiver Austin Proehl in a corresponding move. Proehl was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 4.
The Jacksonville Jaguars made Lee a second-round selection out of USC in 2014. He missed the entire 2018 season after suffering a severe knee injury in the preseason and undergoing surgery. Lee last played in 2019 when he registered three catches for 18 yards. The receiver ended the campaign on injured reserve with a knee injury and was released on April 20, 2020.
Lee, 29, has caught 174 passes for 2,184 yards with eight touchdowns through the five NFL seasons in which he played. He signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots last season but opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patriots released the receiver on March 18.
Lee's best statistical season came in 2016 when he hauled in 63 catches for 851 yards with three touchdowns while appearing in all 16 games with six starts. He started a career-high 14 games in 2017, recording 56 catches for 702 yards and three scores.
There are a lot of question marks in the WR corps after Aiyuk and Deebo, but there is quite a bit of competition for those last 4-5 spots#49wz https://t.co/S7dhQMSXQt
— Brian Renick (@brenick77) May 17, 2021