Getty The 49ers during their December 5, 2021 road game in Seattle.
The San Francisco 49ers aren’t just conducting interviews with potential new additions to the 2022 roster in NFL Draft month, they’re receiving visits from free agents who are searching for a new pro football home.
And on Tuesday, April 5, the 49ers received two visitors who know the NFC West quite well: They’re both former Seattle Seahawks.
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Per Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, wide receivers Marcus Johnson and Malik Turner swung by the 49ers’ facility.
Marcus Johnson and Malik Turner visited 49ers
Both men have played for multiple NFL franchises. But they have lined up alongside each other once before.
Turner With Seattle
The two were teammates in the Pacific Northwest in the 2018 season.
For the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Turner, the Seahawks represented his earliest NFL opportunity after going undrafted out of the University of Illinois. He signed on as an undrafted free agent on July 29, 2018. He showed up to Seattle after an unsuccessful tryout attempt with the Green Bay Packers.
Turner was cut at the end of training camp as teams began to downsize to the mandatory 53-player requirement. However, Turner found his way over to the practice squad on September 11, 2018 after originally trying out for the Houston Texans the previous week.
Seahawks sign Malik Turner to practice squad. He worked out for Texans last week
Turner made his way to the active roster on Halloween 2018 after the team released veteran wideout Brandon Marshall. Turner would go on to catch two passes for 20 yards including a 19-yard strike from former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during their 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers on November 25.
Turner managed to stick around the ‘Hawks in 2019: Hauling in 15 catches for 245 yards and scored once. Per Pro Football Reference, he finished his two seasons with the Seahawks collecting 17 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown. And that score came via a double pass versus the Philadelphia Eagles:
A little @Seahawks trickery in Philly.
TOUCHDOWN, @DangeRussWilson to Malik Turner on the double pass! #Seahawks #SEAvsPHI
📺: FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: t.co/YLI9jW8U5W
On November 11, 2019, Turner caught two footballs for 35 yards in the 27-24 victory over the 49ers.
The former Fighting Illini wideout would spend his next two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. While he didn’t record any catches during the 2020 season, he caught 12 passes for 149 yards and scored 3 touchdowns during the Cowboys’ playoff run — ultimately losing to the 49ers in the wildcard round.
Malik Turner goes 61 on this impressive catch and run 🔥
📺: #WASvsDAL on NBC
📱: t.co/RVn6kdfzlm
Johnson Won Super Bowl Before Trekking West
Before Johnson and Turner were listed on the Seahawks’ wide receiver depth chart in 2018, the 6-foot-1, 207-pounder witnessed a championship in his second season in the league.
Johnson caught 5 throws for 45 yards for the Super Bowl 52 champion Eagles. Three of those catches were good for first downs according to PFR.
Then on March 7, 2018, Johnson was part of a trade that sent him to the Seahawks in exchange for veteran pass rusher Michael Bennett. That move came before the 49ers managed to add another renowned Seahawk named Richard Sherman during that free agency period.
However, Johnson’s PNW stay didn’t last — as he was sent to the Indianapolis Colts on September 1, 2018 for tight end Darrell Daniels. Johnson would go on and play for Indy for the next three seasons — tallying 37 receptions for 634 yards and scoring three times. One of his touchdowns came on this broken play:
Jacoby to Marcus Johnson for six ‼️ #JAXvsIND
He spent last season with the Tennessee Titans, where he appeared in seven games including three starts while ending with 9 catches for 160 yards. One of his best highlights came on this breakout play versus the New Orleans Saints: