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Kyle Shanahan clarifies relationship with Dante Pettis after 49ers reunion
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- Kyle Shanahan clarifies relationship with Dante Pettis after 49ers reunion
Kyle Shanahan clarifies relationship with Dante Pettis after 49ers reunion originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After high hopes for Dante Pettis 's career with the 49ers fell flat, the seven-year NFL veteran reunited with the team that drafted him after signing with the team's practice squad on Wednesday.
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Pettis was selected by the 49ers with the No. 44 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. After two underwhelming seasons and falling behind Deebo Samuel , Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne on the depth chart, the 49ers attempted to trade Pettis before ultimately releasing him in Nov. 2020.
The organization's decision then to part ways with Pettis might indicate a fray in the relationship to the outside world, but coach Kyle Shanahan cleared up any confusion about the rapport between the two parties.
"There was no relationship issue. That was just how it worked out," Shanahan clarified Wednesday during his press conference. "I think people get confused sometimes with saying people are in the 'doghouse' and things like that. People, I think, sometimes get that confused with just coaching."
A player getting benched or being limited in playing time naturally creates speculation. But Shanahan's clarification indicates that it was just a matter of circumstance, and not a deeper relationship issue between Pettis and the 49ers.
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"I've always loved Dante. Dante's a great dude," Shanahan said. "He's got a lot of ability. He's done some really good things since we let him go, other places.
"Someone we tried to bring back during training camp when we had some guys down and tried again this time and this time it worked out."
Health at the receiver position has been a problem for the 49ers since the early days of training camp in August, starting with the injury to Ricky Pearsall that will sideline him the entirety of the 2026 NFL season.
Now with De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson and, most recently, Mike Evans joining the ranks of injured receivers, the 49ers have added back-end receiver depth by signing Brandin Cooks and now Pettis to the team's practice squad.
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"We tried to bring him into camp one time," Shanahan said of Pettis. "Then, obviously Mike going down, losing some receivers the last few weeks, we needed to add a guy to practice squad, and we were pumped he was available."
Pettis most recently played for the New Orleans Saints during the 2024 and 2025 NFL seasons. Last season, Pettis played eight games for the Saints, recording nine receptions for 127 yards.
