Many amazing players have donned the uniform of the San Francisco 49ers over the years. Some of the perennial faces on the team were scouted and drafted. The 1980s and 1990s were full of great draft picks for the 49ers.
Names like Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and Charles Haley were some of the legendary players who were drafted by San Francisco in the 1980s. Bryant Young, Terrell Owens and Merton Hanks were some of the greats drafted in the 1990s.
There are also a number of great players whose names are synonymous with the Niners who arrived via trade.
The big-names who come to mind here are quarterback Steve Young, who was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, and defensive end Fred Dean who was traded to the 49ers by the San Diego Chargers.
There is also a very small category of players who spent one single season with San Francisco.
Some arrived as free agents on short-term deals, some were traded as their contracts were expiring, and some were drafted before deciding to call it quits after a single season.
The reasons they may have parted ways with the team were different, but the impact they all had was felt on the field. Some made Pro Bowls, some All-Pro selections and some even won their team a Super Bowl.
It still stands to discuss, who were the best players to spend only one season on the 49ers?
Let’s take a look at some of these players that were here today, gone tomorrow.
No. 5: Linebacker Chris Borland — with 49ers in 2014
The 2014 NFL season was the beginning of an end for many things in San Francisco. It marked the final season with the 49ers for head coach Jim Harbaugh and what had been a perennial playoff run previously.
It also marked the final season with the 49ers for linebacker Chris Borland. The interesting thing to note here is that Borland was a rookie.
The 49ers selected Borland in the third round (77th overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin. He made an immediate impact on the field in his rookie season. And with veteran linebacker Patrick Willis sidelined with injuries, Borland got to see extended field time.
He appeared in 14 games, making starts at linebacker in eight of them. In those games, he tallied 108 total tackles, two interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery. In Week 11, he earned an NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
And at the end of the season, he was named to the 2014 NFL All-Rookie team. He had a bright future in the league ahead of him. But ultimately before the 2015 season started he decided to retire citing concerns about his long-term health in regards to head trauma.
Borland’s career started with a bang but ended before the league and fans got to see the type of player he had the potential to grow into.
No. 4: Wide Receiver Randy Moss — with 49ers in 2012
Many will argue wide receiver Randy Moss was well past his prime when he signed with San Francisco. That would not be much of an argument because it was the truth.
After being out of football in the 2011 season, Moss signed a one-year deal with the 49ers prior to 2012. He came to the team with quite the résumé.
He had six Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections to his name coming from the time he spent with the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. He also had a single-season record of 23 receiving touchdowns in 2007, having broken the record of the legendary Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice.
Moss was all but a decoy in an offense that was run-heavy and featured Pro Bowler Frank Gore in the backfield.
He finished the season with 28 receptions, 434 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Not the numbers typically expected from him.
Yet Moss also ended up playing in the Super Bowl when the Niners made it all the way to that game even though the future Hall of Famer wasn’t a big a part of the path there as some of San Francisco’s other standouts.
Moss would retire for good after that year with 14 seasons in the league to his name.
No. 3: Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders — with 49ers in 2019
Right before the trade deadline in the 2019 season, the 49ers made a move to bring wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to the team. The Denver Broncos traded Sanders along with a 2020 fifth-round pick to the 49ers for a 2020 third-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
He brought with him the experience of three 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons, one season of 100-plus receptions, two Pro Bowl selections, and a Super Bowl ring.
On an already-loaded 2019 49ers squad, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch thought Sanders would be that piece to help put them over the top and make it to the Super Bowl, and he did just that.
In his first appearance in red and gold against the Arizona Cardinals, Sanders at one point was lined up at fullback in the red zone. He ended up catching a touchdown pass on that same play. His impact was felt on the field all season long.
His most electrifying game would come against the New Orleans Saints. In that game, he hauled in a 75-yard touch pass early in the second quarter. He would go onto make an even more jaw-dropping play and with a little in-game trickery later, ended up throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to Raheem Mostert.
He would appear in 10 games for San Francisco in 2019. In those appearances, he had 36 receptions, 502 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Ultimately, though, he became a free agent in 2020 and ended up signing with the same Saints team he dazzled the season before.
No. 2: Defensive Back Rod Woodson — with 49ers in 1997
In 1997, the 49ers managed to sign perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro cornerback Rod Woodson. In 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Woodson had seven Pro Bowl selections, five All-Pro selections and won the 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Woodson would start at left cornerback and help lead the 49ers to the third-ranked defense in the NFL that year. San Francisco would finish the season 13-3 and win the NFC West.
Woodson would not make the Pro Bowl in 1997, however. Although one could make the argument he should have. After all, Woodson finished the season with three interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, and the Niners would have their dominant defense with him patrolling the secondary.
The 49ers would eventually lose to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Conference Championship game by a score of 23-10.
Woodson would go on to sign with the Baltimore Ravens in 1998, eventually winning a Super Bowl with them in the 2000 season.
No. 1: Cornerback Deion Sanders — with 49ers in 1994
It is almost certainly a general consensus among the 49er Faithful cornerback Deion Sanders had the all-time best one-and-done performance for San Francisco.
Sanders began his career with the Atlanta Falcons who at the time were part of the NFC West. Therefore playing the 49ers twice a year, he proved to be a real thorn in their side. He was one of the best defensive backs, kick returners and punt returners in the league during that time.
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After five seasons with only one playoff appearance, Sanders decided it was time to leave Atlanta. He wanted to shop his options with a new team and felt a chance to win a Super Bowl would be atop his priority list.
He ultimately chose the 49ers before Week 3 of the 1994 season.
“Prime Time” as Sanders was referred to, got to work immediately in the 1994 season. He had six interceptions on the season. With those six interceptions, he returned them for a league-leading three touchdowns and 303 yards.
The 49ers would finish the season 13-3 and end up winning the Super Bowl. Sanders himself would be awarded a Pro Bowl selection, an All-Pro selection and win the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Sanders contends he was never offered a new contract by the team and cites some friction with Jerry Rice as a possible reason. And thus ended one of the best one-and-done seasons with the 49ers.
He ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys and won the Super Bowl with them the following season.