WEDNESDAY, 12:16pm: Hunter’s deal includes $200K in up-front guaranteed money, and has a max value of $1.75MM for next season, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
MONDAY, 4:34pm: As one of their injured running backs contemplates whether or not to continue his NFL career, the 49ers have locked up another injured back to a contract extension. The Niners announced today that they’ve signed Kendall Hunter, who is currently on injured reserve, to a one-year extension that will keep him under team control for the 2015 season.
Hunter, who had been entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2014, tore his ACL during training camp, wiping out his season. However, he had played well as Frank Gore‘s backup during his first three years in San Francisco, totaling 1,202 rushing yards on just 262 carries, good for an average of 4.6 yards per carry. He also added seven touchdowns, reaching the end zone multiple times in each of his three seasons.
Having drafted Carlos Hyde this past spring, the Niners will have Hyde and Hunter under contract for 2015 at the very least. Gore’s future with the team is up in the air, as he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency at season’s end, and 2013 draftee Marcus Lattimore is reportedly leaning toward ending his comeback attempt and retiring, though he has yet to officially announce a decision.