© Kirby Lee | 2020 Jan 19
The white flag has been raised on the Dante Pettis era.
Just two and a half seasons after Kyle Shanahan traded up 15 spots to select Pettis in the second round, the 49ers have waived the wide receiver after failing to trade him according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Pettis, 25, showed flashes in his rookie season, finishing with 467 yards on 27 catches, but regressed in both 2019 and 2020. After catching just 11 passes in 2019 he didn’t have a single reception in five games this year. Pettis hasn’t caught a pass since Oct. 31, 2019.
The tipping point for Pettis probably occurred in Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks — his first appearance after being inactive for the three previous weeks — when he committed a crucial fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter.
The 49ers made early round selections for receivers — Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk — in the previous two drafts, and both players almost immediately looked better and more consistant than Pettis.