Jake Tonges has gone from roster long shot to a player the 49ers now appear ready to trust with a bigger slice of the offense.
His 2025 season started with him on the practice squad and ended with him emerging as a dependable tight end when San Francisco needed help most, especially after George Kittle went down with a Week 1 injury. That turnaround has already been rewarded with a two-year, $8 million contract extension, the largest deal of Tonges’ NFL career and a clear sign the 49ers view him as part of what comes next.
Tonges said the security feels different this time around.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s definitely a big change from last year.
“This is really my first camp going into camp where I’m not scratching and clawing in the fourth quarter of preseason games and just trying to make those last spots on the roster.
“So, it feels good having a little bit of security. I could sign a year-long lease on a house and do stuff like that. But I’m really just trying to pick up where I left off from last year.”
That leap has been a steady climb for Tonges, whose first career catch came in unforgettable fashion: a game-winning touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks. He followed that up with five touchdowns and 293 receiving yards, and he said that stretch did more than just pad the stat sheet.
“It gave me a ton of confidence, obviously. Even more importantly, it gave the coaches confidence that I could do it in a real game,” he said.
“I feel like I’d been excelling in practice catching the ball up until that point, but there’s a whole different level of trust that happens going into a game and giving you routes where you’re the first read and stuff like that.
“I think it was important in gaining the trust of the coaches and the organization, and it really propelled me forward all through last year.”
With Kittle’s injury still something the 49ers have to monitor carefully despite his activation from the PUP list, and with Luke Farrell still carrying questions, Tonges could be in line for even more work in 2026. After spending years fighting for a place, he now looks like someone San Francisco expects to keep around.
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San Francisco has already set its 53-man roster, and the edge-rusher group will have to carry the load without him for now, with Sam Okuayinou, Keion White and Romello Height among the names on the list. The early absence matters because Williams was supposed to help line up next to Nick Bosa, and now the 49ers will have to find out how much pressure they can generate before their rookie defender is eligible to return. [Read more 🡒]
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49ers Just Got A Harsh Early Reality Check In The NFC West
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The timing makes it even tougher to ignore because the 49ers are set to see the Rams first in Melbourne, Australia, a stage that will amplify whatever edge Los Angeles believes it has. San Francisco can still make its own case over the course of the season, but the matchup in front of it now looks like more than just an opener. It feels like an early test of whether the 49ers can keep pace in a division where the margin for error may already be shrinking. [Read more 🡒]