One of the members from the San Francisco 49ers' 2016 NFL Draft class is hanging up his cleats.
According to a Wednesday report from ESPN's Field Yates, wide receiver and special teams contributor Aaron Burbridge is retiring.
Broncos WR Aaron Burbridge, once a standout player at Michigan State, is retiring, per source. He entered the league as a 2016 sixth rounder of the 49ers, though injuries kept him off the field each of the last two seasons.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 17, 2019
Burbridge, who played his college ball at Michigan State, was selected by the Niners in Round 6, No. 213 overall, in the 2016 draft. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound receiver was initially seen as a potential boundary or slot candidate for then-head coach Chip Kelly, although Burbridge found himself scantly used over the course of the season in which San Francisco struggled to get any sort of regular offensive production.
In total, Burbridge started three games his rookie year but amassed just seven receptions on 16 targets for 88 yards. Yet his special teams contributions earned some note upon head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. taking over the squad in 2017.
Ultimately, however, Burbridge found himself on injured reserve in September of that year. A year later, the 49ers waived/injured Burbridge, eventually signing him to the practice squad in October of 2018 before ultimately releasing him in November. The Denver Broncos signed Burbridge in January of 2019.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
