The San Francisco 49ers will see one of the most durable offensive linemen of the Kyle Shanahan era continue his NFL career elsewhere in the NFC.
Former 49ers Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson is signing with the Green Bay Packers off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on September 26.
“At age 34, with 162 starts under his belt, Tomlinson will help an O-line that needs it,” Rapoport wrote.
Tomlinson spent five seasons with the 49ers and never missed a start, becoming a fixture at left guard during San Francisco’s rise into an NFC contender. Now Green Bay is turning to that experience at a moment when its offensive line badly needs reinforcements.
At age 34, with 162 starts under his belt, Tomlinson will help an O-line that needs it.
Laken Tomlinson Became a Fixture With 49ers
San Francisco acquired Tomlinson from the Detroit Lions just before the beginning of the 2017 season, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch’s first year running the franchise.
It became one of the more productive early moves of their tenure.
Tomlinson started the final 15 games of that season at left guard, prompting the 49ers to give him a three-year extension the following offseason. He ultimately started 80 games across five seasons for San Francisco, including every offensive game the team played from 2017 through 2021.
That stretch included the 49ers’ run to Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season and culminated with Tomlinson earning the first Pro Bowl selection of his career in 2021.
San Francisco wanted to retain him after that season. Lynch called Tomlinson the “poster child of consistency and durability” before free agency, but the veteran ultimately landed a three-year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets.
Tomlinson has bounced around since then, spending two seasons with New York before one-year stops with the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.
Dallas signed him to its practice squad earlier in September. Green Bay did not leave him there for long.
Packers Turn to Former 49ers Guard After Offensive Line Problems
The timing makes Green Bay’s move particularly notable.
The Packers were without starting left guard Aaron Banks in their September 24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons because of knee and toe injuries. Starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele is already out for the season after tearing his patellar tendon.
Then came an ugly Thursday night performance.
Green Bay managed just 17 rushing yards on nine carries in a 35-14 loss to Atlanta. NBC Sports’ Josh Alper noted the Packers’ offensive line issues while reporting the impending Tomlinson addition.
Tomlinson does not arrive as a long-term building block at 34 years old, but few available guards come with his résumé. He has 162 career NFL starts, including seven for Houston last season, according to Rapoport.
For 49ers fans, it is another stop for a player who once represented exactly what Shanahan wanted up front: available every Sunday, reliable enough to leave alone and good enough to eventually earn Pro Bowl recognition.
More than nine years after San Francisco traded for him, Tomlinson is still finding NFL teams that need exactly that.
Former 49ers Pro Bowler Signs With Green Bay Packers