A Speed Wide Receiver the 49ers Should Target in Free Agency

The 49ers need speed.

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The San Francisco 49ers have some questions to be answered at wide receiver this offseason. While it is hard to find true answers at such a valuable position during free agency, the 49ers may need to take some shots to fill a room that could look different. One free agent wide receiver to keep an eye on is Calvin Austin from the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Should the San Francisco 49ers sign Calvin Austin in free agency?

Austin, a former fourth-round pick, is entering free agency for the first time. With that, he will only be 27 years old next season, meaning there are still some prime years left in his career. That is not something you will always find in free agency. 

Austin missed his rookie season due to injury, then went from 187 yards in year two to 573 yards in year three. Unfortunately, he did not keep the momentum rolling and had 380 yards. His yards per route run went from 1.41 in 2024 to 1.15 in 2025. However, a lot of this is tied to switching to Aaron Rodgers. 

His average depth of target sank from 13.6 to 11.1 with Rodgers, and Rodgers began targeting Marquez Valdes-Scantling over him due to familiarity. So, Austin is young, has shown upside and potential, and he can be a big play fit in the right scheme. 

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The good news for Austin is that the 49ers were missing an explosive element from their offense last year and need to find a way to bring some speed into the mix. In this sense, Austin is like a Jordan Watkins-type player, but healthy and proven. 

Austin also has experience returning kicks. He does not have experience returning punts, but the 49ers could look to him in that role in the way that they asked Skyy Moore, who never returned punts previously. Moore is a free agent this year, so Austin could end up being an upgrade from Watkins and a replacement for Moore all in one swoop.

Spotrac has Austin projected to get a two-year, $9.7M deal this offseason. That is not much different than the type of contract they gave Luke Farrell this offseason, and Austin has a chance to make a much more significant difference, especially in terms of big plays.

They are not going to find many better fits at a better price on the free agent market. Will they offer Calvin Austin a contract?