If it weren’t for the 49ers Faithful, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. probably wouldn’t have made a return to the Bay Area.
Speaking to reporters following San Francisco’s practice on Monday, the 29-year-old, who reunited with the 49ers on Sunday, revealed what motivated his decision.
Hint: San Francisco’s passionate fan base played a major role.
“I was in a rough spot,” Wilson told reporters. “But as soon as the news started circulating about me coming here, I had so many fans DM’ing me and texting me, ‘Man, we miss you. We love you.’”
In 2018, Wilson was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent and went on to spend the first four-plus seasons of his NFL career with San Francisco before a midseason trade to the Miami Dolphins in 2022.
Fast forward to the 2025 offseason, when Wilson was in need of a change of scenery and a sense of validation. Thankfully for him, the 49ers reached out.
“It was like, ‘Man, there’s still people that care and love,’” Wilson added. “That was the main reason why it made it sweeter to come back because it was like having those people reach out.
“All those things go a long way. You never know what a person is going through. When you hear those things at the right time, it can be a big difference.”
With Isaac Guerendo and rookie Jordan James nursing injuries, Wilson slots in as an additional depth piece in the 49ers’ offense behind star running back Christian McCaffrey, Patrick Taylor Jr. and Ameer Abdullah.
And as for the Faithful, it gets back one of their favorites in the Red and Gold.
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