49ers, Seahawks reportedly pursued Giovani Bernard before Buccaneers signing
A free agent for the first time, Giovani Bernard agreed to join the defending Super Bowl champions. Prior to his Buccaneers agreement, the veteran passing-down back received interest from other NFC teams.
The 49ers and Seahawks also attempted to sign the eight-year vet, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson contacted Bernard, per Laine, though Bruce Arians and Tom Brady did as well.
San Francisco’s cap sheet no longer includes Tevin Coleman’s and Jerick McKinnon‘s veteran salaries, but the 49ers do return key cogs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. Kyle Shanahan, however, valued McKinnon’s passing-game ability when he authorized a then-top-five running back accord in 2017. The 49ers appear to be on the lookout for a receiving back capable of complementing Mostert and Wilson.
Seattle re-signed Chris Carson and still has former first-round pick Rashaad Penny on its payroll. The former is not known for his receiving chops, and the latter missed most of last season due to injury.
