Niner Noise
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4 former 49ers players set to play in Super Bowl LII

By Peter Panacy

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 27: Torrey Smith #82 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his second quarter touchdown in front the defender Nevin Lawson #24 of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 27, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 27: Torrey Smith #82 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his second quarter touchdown in front the defender Nevin Lawson #24 of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 27, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Four former members of the San Francisco 49ers will be partaking in Super Bowl LII this Sunday as members of the New England Patriots or Philadelphia Eagles. Are you rooting for any of them?

The San Francisco 49ers were eliminated from Super Bowl LII contention a long, long while ago, but that doesn’t mean they’re without representation for Sunday’s big game.

Sort of.

In total, four former Niners players are going to be suiting up for the NFL’s biggest prime-time contest — three from the New England Patriots and one, wide receiver Torrey Smith, from the Philadelphia Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Smith was cut shortly after San Francisco brought aboard the new regime consisting of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan in early 2017. Two days after being released, Smith signed on with Philadelphia.

His 430 receiving yards during the regular season easily eclipsed the mere 267 he had the year prior. But with fellow Eagles wideouts Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery getting most of the attention, Smith doesn’t appear to be heading towards a massive impact in Sunday’s showdown.

Neither will former 49ers starting quarterback Brian Hoyer, who ended up signing on with the Patriots as a free agent after being released post the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.

Hoyer’s job is to back up future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, and even the biggest Patriots critics would prefer not to see the former take the field in any capacity. Either way, Hoyer stands a good chance to get a ring.

Remember These Former 49ers?

Two other Patriots used to wear the red and gold, wide receiver Chris Hogan and defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois.

Originally drafted by San Francisco back in 2009, Jean-Francois spent his first four seasons with the Niners, accumulating 33 tackles and three sacks in the process. He then went on to have stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers before joining New England in November of 2017.

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Hogan is an interesting story. The Patriots’ 2017 playoff hero (remember his nine-catch, 180-yard, two-touchdown performance versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game a year ago?) started off a 49ers undrafted free agent in 2011.

Hogan didn’t make the team that year and bounced around with the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills before emerging as an unlikely Patriots star in 2016.

One way or another, at least one former Niners player is going to walk away from this season with a Super Bowl ring.

Next: Super Bowl LII: Breaking down Patriots, Eagles' game plans

The only question is which player(s) you want to see receive the accolade.