NFL Player News

McKinnon said he is excited to work under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who believes the running back is much better than his statistics suggest, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee reports. "I know the stuff we liked McKinnon on," said Shanahan. "If I could just cut up those numbers I think they would have been good numbers. But when you take the whole accumulation of things, I think they watered things down."

Shanahan said he "got lost" while watching film on McKinnon, whose work as a pass catcher -- 94 receptions the past two years -- stood out above all else on tape. The 2014 third-round pick entered the league with an elite athletic profile in terms of speed (4.41 40), strength (32 bench reps) and explosion (40.5-inch vertical, 132-inch broad jump) -- talent he displayed while averaging 4.9 yards on 165 carries as Adrian Peterson's backup in 2014 and 2015. Eventually freed up for a larger role, McKinnon slumped to 3.4 YPC in 2016 and 3.8 last season, albeit with the aforementioned receiving contributions and some big plays sprinkled in. The Niners saw enough to warrant a four-year, $30 million contract, presumably betting that Shanahan's scheme will make better use of McKinnon's rare athletic traits. McKinnon will turn 26 in May and should enter training camp as the starter, ahead of second-year players Matt Breida, Joe Williams and Jeremy McNichols. The outlook always could change if the 49ers use an early draft pick on a running back, though Shanahan's comments hint that it won't be a priority.

Zenner is signing a contract to stay in Detroit, where he figures to compete for the No. 4 running back job, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Zenner has appeared in 28 games for the Lions since catching on as an undrafted free agent in 2015, taking 119 carries for 420 yards (3.5 YPC) and five touchdowns and catching 20 of 27 targets for 207 yards. He played more snaps on special teams (155) than offense (65) last season, and he'll likely have a similar role if he sticks on the roster for another year. The Lions are trying to add a veteran -- possibly Frank Gore -- to compete with Ameer Abdullah and Tion Green for carries. Zenner's special teams acumen may eventually give him the upper hand over Green or Abdullah in a battle for one of the final roster spots.

The Raiders signed Martin to a contract Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

In his two full 16-game slates, Martin racked up 1,400 rushing yards both times, 743 combined receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. However, the other four years with the Bucs were rife with injuries, ineffectiveness and suspensions, setting up his release from the team on Feb. 20. With his next destination determined, Martin can focus on a bounce back, but it may be difficult in a backfield populated by Marshawn Lynch, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.

Toussaint will re-sign with the Steelers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Toussaint will reprise his role as a depth option behind star back Le'Veon Bell and 2017 third-rounder James Conner. In limited work with the Steelers last season, Toussaint carried six times for 25 yards and added two catches for nine yards, while suiting up for six games.

The Lions didn't tender Zenner a contract for the 2018 season Wednesday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Zenner was often a healthy inactive during his three seasons in Detroit, only seeing the field when injuries hit tailbacks above him on the depth chart. The South Dakota State product finished the past campaign with only 26 yards and one touchdown on 14 rushing attempts, though his abysmal 1.9 yards per carry is likely a reflection of his deployment as a battering ram in short-yardage situations. The 26-year-old could draw interest from a number of teams in need of a goal-line bruiser.

Henry could get some competition for touches out of the backfield in 2018 after the Titans agreed to terms on a contract with Dion Lewis on Tuesday, Jason Wolf of The Tennessean reports.

Henry's breakout performance in the postseason suggests he'll likely still receive the bulk of early down work, but the versatile Lewis should nearly monopolize the snaps on passing downs. While the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry's powerful running style still makes him the heavy favorite to lead the team in touchdowns, the bell-cow workload owners were hoping for Henry to take on in the wake of DeMarco Murray's release is unlikely to materialize following Lewis' signing.

The Seahawks didn't tender Rawls a contract for the 2018 season Wednesday, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Rawls becomes an unrestricted free agent and will likely have to settle for a backup role or an opportunity to compete for a starting assignment at most wherever he lands next. He burst onto the scene with 830 rushing yards on 147 carries as an undrafted rookie in 2015, but was utterly ineffective (3.0 yards per carry on 167 totes) the past two seasons, never regaining his pre-injury form. The Seahawks also non-tendered Mike Davis, leaving only Chris Carson (ankle/leg), C.J. Prosise (ankle) and J.D. McKissic in the backfield.

McKinnon agreed Wednesday with the 49ers on a four-year, $30 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

McKinnon was set to be a second or third option if he returned to the Vikings with Dalvin Cook (knee) set to return in 2018 and Latavius Murray still in the fold, but now he'll at least have a shot to compete for the primary job in the San Francisco backfield. The size of the contract suggests McKinnon will enter camp as the favorite for lead-back status, ahead of Matt Breida, Joe Williams, Jeremy McNichols and Raheem Mostert (knee). Of course, there's still time for the Niners to supplement their running-back stable in free agency or the draft.

The Jaguars placed a second-round tender on Grant, a restricted free agent, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

Grant went undrafted back in 2015, which means the Jaguars wouldn't have received compensation if they'd used an original-round tender and failed to match an offer sheet. The $2.9 million second-round tender seems like a lot to pay for a third-string running back, but it makes sense after accounting for Grant's value on special teams, where he's been particularly useful on trick plays from the punt protector spot. He's also done well with his limited opportunities on offense, perhaps setting him up to challenge T.J. Yeldon for backup work now that Chris Ivory is out of the picture.

The 49ers have tendered a one-year contract to Mostert (knee), an exclusive-rights free agent, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Primarily a special teamer, Mostert had six carries for 30 yards in 11 games last season, ultimately landing on injured reserve in late November due to a knee injury. He should be back to compete for a spot at the bottom of the depth chart, but there's not much reason to think he'll be a factor in the backfield, regardless of what happens with impending free agent Carlos Hyde.