If you forgot Russell Gage was on the 49ers roster, you're not alone. Maybe the Niners forgot, too.
Late last season, the San Francisco 49ers processed an under-the-radar move that probably didn't get your attention: signing veteran wide receiver Russell Gage to the practice squad.
Gage didn't see any action in what was his first year with the Niners, although they opted to bring him back on a reserve/futures contract last January and placed him on the 90-man offseason roster to open up the 2025 NFL new year.
Again, you probably didn't notice.
The former LSU standout, who broke into the league as a sixth-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons back in 2018, hasn't seen a regular-season snap since 2022, long before his San Francisco tenure. After his rookie contract with Atlanta expired, his subsequent tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was wholly derailed by a series of injuries.
By the looks of it, the 29-year-old receiver probably won't see such a snap in a 49ers uniform ever.
Russell Gage simply doesn't have a niche on 49ers roster
Somewhat of a do-it-all athlete in college, Gage predated the Niners' offseason changes that included bidding farewell to wide receiver Deebo Samuel but also adding a veteran in Demarcus Robinson, as well as two drafted rookies, Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen.
Watkins and Bergen threaten what Gage's best shot at making the 53-man roster would be: special teams.
While he wasn't exactly a return specialist during his time at LSU, Gage nevertheless served as a quality gunner, although that certainly would be challenged by the presence of both Watkins and Bergen, if by position alone, as well as the numerous special teams additions made in free agency by new coordinator Brant Boyer.
Gage, who enjoyed back-to-back 700-yard campaigns with the Falcons in 2020 and 2021, is on a veteran's minimum contract now and would incur zero in dead money, should San Francisco release him.
If the 49ers weren't able to add preferred wideouts via either free agency or the draft, Gage's chances of hanging around would be greater.
But the Niners did add wideouts, and Gage's chances are now almost nonexistent.
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