Former Falcons Second-Round Pick Signs with 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers signed former Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

Former Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have officially lost safety Richie Grant in free agency.

Grant agreed to a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

On locker room cleanout day Jan. 6, Grant said he made lifelong bonds across four seasons with the Falcons and was "really hoping to extend that" in the spring.

"I love Atlanta, man," Grant said. "Atlanta's home. First team, obviously -- I feel like any athlete comes in (and) wants to finish with their first team, but I'm leaving it in God's hands. I'm sure I'm going to have plenty of talks coming up and whatever happens, happens."

Evidently, what happened was a departure to the west coast.

Grant, a second-round pick in 2021, endured highs and lows in Atlanta. He played in 16 games as a rookie but didn't start, instead finding his niche at nickel but playing only 25% of the team's defensive snaps.

In his second professional season, Grant played all but five snaps while starting all 17 games. He had 123 tackles, three tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Grant started 15 of 17 games in 2023, though his role decreased down the stretch as Hellams, then a promising rookie, earned more playing time. Still, the former University of Central Florida standout finished with 103 tackles, three sacks and an interception.

And so, with two years of significant starting experience and production under his belt, Grant naturally assumed he'd be in line for a heavy dose of snaps in 2024. It didn't happen.

After the Falcons signed four-time All-Pro safety Justin Simmons in mid-August, the 27-year-old Grant spent much of his time on special teams, playing 349 snaps -- 78% of the unit's total -- for coordinator Marquice Williams.

Grant finished the year with 14 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pair of pass deflections -- far from the season he expected to have before the arrival of Simmons.