The San Francisco 49ers announced on tuesday that they resumed running back Jeff Wilson Jr. for a one-year contract. Wilson was set to join a restricted free agency this off-season, but this contract will keep him in the Bay Area – and heavily committed in 2021. The financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed by the team.
The 25-year-old spent his entire three-year career in the NFL with the Niners after they hired him as a non-hired free agent from North Texas in 2018. In that time, Wilson became a strong option for San Francisco off the field. defense and may look to expand its role even further in the coming season. Across the board, 2020 saw Wilson reach the best of his career, which makes sense after seeing 31 touches more than his first two years combined.
In 12 games played, Wilson recorded 733 yards of scrimmage at 5.3 yards per touch and 10 touchdowns in total. What is particularly promising for Wilson’s future prospects is back production when given the starting position. In his three games this season, Wilson has 371 yards running at 6.2 yards per transport and four touchdowns. He also took six passes for 41 yards and two more scores from those starts.
While he is unlikely to maintain this supernatural production if he has even more opportunities in 2021, there are many promises, especially with fellow running backs Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon, both set to be unrestricted free agents.