Report: 49ers' Weston Richburg 'likely' to retire after restructuring contract

Weston Richburg might be calling it a career. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the 49ers center “likely ends up retiring” this offseason. To prepare for the apparent retirement, the 49ers front office restructured Richburg’s contract on Saturday morning, saving the team $6.875M.

We learned last week that the 29-year-old was set to undergo hip surgery. Richburg missed all of 2020 with injuries, including a torn patellar tendon. There was some optimism that the veteran would be able to return late in the season, but he never made it back on the field.

Richburg had a tough time living up to the five-year, $47.5M deal he signed with the 49ers back in 2018. While he didn’t allow a sack during the 2019 campaign, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s worst blockers, and he committed eight penalties between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The former second-rounder earned that massive contract thanks to a solid four-year stint with the Giants to start his career. The Colorado State product ultimately started 50 of his 51 games with New York, but he was limited to only four contests in 2017.