Fans of the San Francisco 49ers might see a familiar face on the New England Patriots' sideline if they watch the AFC Championship Game closely this Sunday.
Although he likely won't see any in-game action, quarterback Joshua Dobbs is the backup for New England.
Of course, Dobbs was the No. 3 quarterback on the Niners roster in 2024 and started in the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Though there haven't been too many players who have gone coast-to-coast from San Francisco to New England, a number of them have made that jump over the years.
Let's take a look of three such players.
DE Andre Carter
Defensive end Andre Carter was a first-round pick for the 49ers in 2001. The Bay Area native played his college ball at nearby Cal.
Carter was immediately thrust into a starting role in his first season with San Francisco, and in his second season, he recorded 12.5 sacks.
That would be his only season with double-digit sacks in his five years with the 49ers. He then had a five-year stint with Washington before ending up in New England in 2011.
In 2011, Carter recorded 10 sacks. This would include a Pats single-game franchise record of four sacks against the New York Jets.
He would be selected to his one and only Pro Bowl in 2011.
OT Trent Brown
Offensive tackle Trent Brown began his career in the NFL as a member of the 49ers. He was a seventh-round draft pick back in 2015.
He spent his first three seasons in San Francisco before being traded to the Patriots in 2018. He started all 16 games for New England that season.
However, the Pats did not re-sign him in 2019, and thus he signed with the then-Oakland Raiders and was selected to his first Pro Bowl that season.
After two seasons with the Raiders, they actually traded him back to New England.
Brown is still in the league and a current member of the Houston Texans.
TE Russ Francis
Tight end Russ Francis actually started his career as a member of the Patriots; he was a first-round pick of theirs in the 1975 NFL Draft.
Francis spent his first six seasons with New England, earning three Pro Bowl selections from 1976 to 1978.
After briefly retiring and not playing in the 1981 NFL season, he returned in 1982 and signed with the 49ers.
Francis won Super Bowl XIX with San Francisco in the 1984 season. He would return to the Patriots in 1987 and play his final season in 1988 with them.