Jake Tonges didn’t arrive in the NFL with much breathing room, and he still had to earn every step after that.
Now the San Francisco 49ers tight end has the kind of security that once felt far away. After a strong 2025 season, the team gave Tonges a two-year, $8 million contract this offseason, the biggest payday of his football life by a mile.
That’s a long way from where things started. Tonges entered the league in 2022 as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears, made the 53-man roster at first, then later found himself back on the practice squad before eventually getting waived.
From there, he kept moving, and kept hanging on. He landed with the 49ers’ practice squad in September 2023, then signed a reserve/future contract in February 2024 as he tried to carve out a lasting spot in the league.
The work finally started to pay off when he re-signed with San Francisco on April 17, 2025, giving him another shot to win a role. Last season became the turning point, and George Kittle’s Week 1 absence opened the door for Tonges to make his mark right away.
He didn’t waste the chance. Tonges caught his first NFL pass for a touchdown from Brock Purdy in Seattle, and that moment helped launch a season in which he finished with 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns.
Even now, Tonges knows how much those early survival tests mattered. Talking to 49ers media, he said: "I think from the start, I was just grateful for every opportunity and tried to put my best foot forward. Coming out, obviously that first year is, I think, the hardest year to stick around because you have so many undrafted guys come in.
"When I was in Chicago, we must have had 10 or 15 guys come in, and I think there were only two or three who made the team. Really, it’s about getting a lot of playing time in that first preseason and establishing yourself so you have film.
"If something happens, you get cut, you get released with an injury settlement, other teams have stuff to look at when they’re thinking about signing you.
"I think making it through that first year is the most important part."
That persistence has put Tonges in position for a bigger workload this season, and he’s earned it after emerging as one of the league’s most productive tight ends.
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