Veteran linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was released by the 49ers Tuesday, with the club retaining seven other players through one-year exclusive rights tenders.
Flannigan-Fowles is a core special teams player who has played in 73 games with seven starts at linebacker since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
In 2025, Flannigan-Fowles played in 12 games and had 17 tackles including one tackle for loss.
The 49ers who are returning for the offseason on one-year, non-guaranteed deals are defensive tackle Evan Anderson, defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, linebacker Jalen Graham, tackle Austin Pleasants, defensive end Alex Barrett and tight ends Jake Tongues and Brayden Willis.
Anderson (6-foot-1, 326 pounds) was a pleasant surprise as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic, playing in 12 games with one start and 24 tackles, two for losses. He played 267 snaps on defense. Okuayinonu played in 16 games with three starts and had three sacks and played 467 snaps.
Graham, Pleasants, Barrett, Tonges and Willis all saw time with the 49ers. Pleasants was a late-season signing after left tackle Trent Williams was injured.
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