Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles’ time with the San Francisco 49ers has to come to end.
The former Arizona Wildcats linebacker was let go by the Niners on Tuesday after five seasons with the franchise. Flannigan-Fowles, age 28, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
49ers have released veteran LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2025
The 49ers’ decision to move on from Flannigan-Fowles was considered a surprise by some. Although Flannigan-Fowles was less productive at linebacker than past years, he played a big role for San Francisco’s special teams unit, recording 184 snaps this season over 12 games. He earned a 76.6 special teams grade according to Pro Football Focus, sixth-highest on the team.
However, Flannigan-Fowles graded out to be the 49ers’ worst defensive player this season with a paltry 30.6 grade per PFF. He played 151 snaps on defense.
Flannigan-Fowles missed five games with a calf injury this year. Otherwise he has been fortunate to remain healthy for most of his NFL career.
The Tucson native played four seasons at Arizona (2015-18) and never missed a game. He played the bandit safety position in college before transitioning to linebacker with the Niners.
Flannigan-Fowles has earned more than $6.2 million over his career according to Spotrac.com.