Ex-49ers $19 Million WR Called ‘Top Offseason Standout’ With New Team

Getty Ex-49ers Richie James (left) and Marquise Goodwin on September 15, 2019.

A past San Francisco 49ers wide receiver has taken advantage of his new surroundings, to the point he’s been labeled the top offseason standout for his latest team the Cleveland Browns.

Marquise Goodwin, once on a $19 million deal with the Niners before bouncing around the league from 2021 to 2023, has done enough to impress the AFC North team — with Jake Trotter of ESPN calling him a “surprise offseason standout” on Tuesday, June 27. Here’s what Trotter said about the journeyman NFL wideout:

“The Browns made a couple of noteworthy moves to upgrade their receiving corps this offseason, trading for Elijah Moore and drafting Cedric Tillman in the third round. Yet another under-the-radar addition, the 32-year-old Goodwin, dominated Cleveland’s minicamp, flashing the downfield wheels that could make him an intriguing weapon for quarterback Deshaun Watson.”

Furthermore, Trotter included what Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson felt about Goodwin when speaking with the Cleveland media during minicamps. Watson immediately identified his speed.

“When asked about Goodwin’s speed, Watson said, ‘It opens up other guys underneath…the run game and also the intermediate and short game.'”

Goodwin Spent 3 Seasons With the 49ers & Was Part of Regime Change

If his name rings a bell for members of the 49ers Faithful, Goodwin was one of the first wide receiving options for the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch regime.

Goodwin was originally brought to the Bay Area via the Buffalo Bills, his first NFL stop from 2013 to 2016. Goodwin was drafted at No. 78 out of the University of Texas in landing at Buffalo. He left Western New York hauling in 29 catches for 431 yards and scoring three touchdowns in his final campaign in front of “Bills Mafia.”

Goodwin originally agreed to a two-year deal for $6 million in joining Shanahan and the 49ers. He responded by putting together his best season to date: 56 receptions, 962 receiving yards, an average of 17.2 yards per catch and two touchdowns. Following that strong first season in the Bay, he went on to sign a three-year extension worth up to $19.25 million in March 2018.

In 2018, Goodwin managed to set a new season-best mark with four touchdown catches. However, his reception total dipped to 23 as he was limited to just eight starts. His yards additionally dove from 962 to 395. The following season, he caught just 12 passes for 186 yards and scored just one touchdown. He was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2020 offseason in exchange for a 2020 sixth rounder — which ended up being tight end Charlie Woerner.

Goodwin, though, never played in 2020 as a COVID-19 opt out. He returned to the 49ers per the terms of his ’20 trade with Philly but was eventually released on March 17, 2021 in a move that cleared $4.5 million in cap space for S.F. He’s since bounced around the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks and now the Browns through one-year deals.

Is Goodwin the Reason Why Cleveland is Potentially Falling Off From Adding Perennial Pro Bowler?

Perhaps Goodwin’s emergence impacts the latest news involving De’Andre Hopkins and the Browns.

First, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday that the Browns are falling out of the race and pointed to Elijah Moore as the reason.

“By all accounts, he [Moore] had a really strong spring and he contributed to the comfort level that Cleveland had with its receiver room, which is a reason why the team hasn’t dipped its toe into the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes quite yet (and probably won’t, barring some sort of material change),” Breer wrote.

However, ESPN NFL insider Sal Paolantonio said the Browns “are still lurking” for Hopkins, meaning he hasn’t officially been ruled out yet.

Even if Hopkins doesn’t dip to Cleveland, the Browns per Trotter have taken a liking to what they’ve seen out of the former 49er Goodwin.

Trotter concluded with: “Goodwin won’t be a primary option, but he could be an impactful one.”