Breida was released by the 49ers on Monday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Breida was working to make the most of a reunion with San Francisco, but he'll unfortunately fall short of making their 53-man roster. The veteran running back spent the first three seasons of his career with the franchise, but he's spent time with the Dolphins, Bills and Giants since that point.
Brieda has agreed to a deal with the 49ers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Breida spent his first three seasons in San Francisco before stints with Miami, Buffalo and the Giants. His most productive years were those he spent with the 49ers, and he will now look for another opportunity to showcase his talents in the Bay Area. Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) was selected by the team in the fourth round of this year's draft and was expected to back up Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell in the backfield, but he is now expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. As a result, Breida will compete with the likes of Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor and Cody Schrader for a depth running back role heading into the season.
Breida went without a carry while playing five snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Eagles.
Breida ended the regular season with 55 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown while catching 17 of 21 targets for 88 yards over 17 games. He played second fiddle behind workhorse Saquon Barkley for most of the season, but even when Barkley was sidelined from Weeks 3 through 5 due to injury, Breida couldn't get much going on the ground as the fill-in starting running back. The seventh-year veteran's role decreased as the campaign wound down, and he played only eight offensive snaps without logging any stats over the final two weeks. That drop in opportunity came as New York gave rookie Eric Gray a longer look, perhaps signaling the team's desire to use him more as a ball carrier next season. Meanwhile, Breida is set to hit free agency and is far from a certainty to return to New York in 2024. He has durability going for him, having played all 34 regular-season games for the Giants over the past two season, but after averaging a meager 2.7 yards per carry in 2023, he'll likely be looking at a backup role regardless of where he lands.
Giants' Matt Breida: Plays five offensive snaps Monday
Rotowire
Breida caught his only target for three yards in Monday's Week 16 loss to Philadelphia. He did not log any rush attempts.
Breida was almost almost entirely phased out of the Giants' offensive game plan, seeing just five snaps on offense -- his second-smallest count of the campaign. The veteran running back dealt with a hamstring injury during Week 16 prep, but it's unclear if the issue contributed to his diminished opportunities. Saquon Barkley unsurprisingly functioned in a workhorse role Monday, and no other New York player logged a rush attempt aside from quarterbacks Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor. The loss officially eliminated the Giants from playoff contention, so there's a chance the team could elect to lighten Barkley's workload to some extent over the final two games of the campaign. However, even in that scenario rookie Eric Gray would be more likely to see expanded opportunities.
Giants' Matt Breida: Cleared to play against Philly
Rotowire
Breida (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Monday's game against the Eagles, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Breida upgraded to full practice participation Friday after a pair of limited sessions. He'll likely continue to fill a reserve role behind Saquon Barkley on Sunday against the stout Eagles front.
