NFL teams made plenty of roster cuts on Tuesday as they trimmed their rosters down to 53 players. One former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, and former member of head coach Kyle Shanahan's doghouse, Dante Pettis ended up on the chopping block.
Pettis was among those cut by the New Orleans Saints. This does not come as a huge shock since he was on the bubble in New Orleans, but he is now searching for a new home. Do not count on a reunion with the 49ers, though.
San Francisco selected Pettis in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The University of Washington product had a decent rookie campaign as he had 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns. However, that was his best NFL season and he saw his playing time with San Francisco diminish.
49ers fans would love a penny for Kyle Shanahn's thoughts after the Saints cut Dante Pettis
Shanahan tried to motivate Pettis and get the most out of him, but his sophomore slump with the team in 2019 sealed his fate. He was not even able to lock down punt return duties which seemed like a great chance for him to get at least some playing time.
Instead, Pettis was waived in November of 2020 by the Niners during the injury-plagued pandemic season. Since then he has bounced around from team to team and has not done very much.
He has seen time with the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Saints. His best season outisde of that rookie campaign in San Francisco came in 2022 with the Bears when he had 245 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Outside of that, there has not been much to write home about.
Maybe Pettis can find a spot on a team's practice squad somewhere. Even though the 49ers are still in need of help at wide receiver, there is no chance the Niners would bring him back after his acrimonious time with San Francisco.
Even though he has some familiarity with the offense, Shanahan clearly was not the biggest fan of Pettis and relegated him to his doghouse which is something he has been known to do with young wide receivers.
The 29-year-old could still find a place on a team somewhere in the NFL, just do not count on a reunion with San Francisco anytime soon.