The San Francisco 49ers have terminated the contract of tight end Josiah Deguara, ending a stay that lasted just over three weeks.
The move came as a corresponding transaction to the signing of defensive end Viliami Fehoko, a former Dallas Cowboys fourth-round pick and Bay Area native.
Deguara signed a one-year deal with San Francisco on July 31 after spending the 2025 season with the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers brought him in primarily for tight end depth while star George Kittle recovered from a torn Achilles suffered in January.
Once Kittle was activated off the physically unable to perform list and the team re-signed young tight end Khalil Dinkins, the roster math at the position tightened. Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis and others already populated the room behind Kittle, making the veteran expendable as final preseason cuts approached.
A Folsom, California, product and University of Cincinnati standout, Deguara has been in the NFL since 2020. The Green Bay Packers selected him in the third round, 94th overall, that year.
He spent four seasons in Green Bay, then played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024 and Arizona in 2025. Across 77 regular-season games and 12 starts, he has 53 receptions for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
His most productive year came in 2021, when he caught 25 passes for 245 yards and two scores. He also appeared in three playoff games with the Packers. In 2025 with the Cardinals he played 12 games with two starts and finished with three catches for 21 yards and a touchdown.
At 6-foot-2 and about 240 pounds, Deguara has never been a traditional in-line tight end. Teams have used him as a move tight end, H-back and occasional fullback, and he has contributed on special teams.
That versatility and local ties made him a logical camp addition when Kittle was unavailable. The fit evaporated quickly once the starter’s return timeline improved and the 49ers chose to spend a roster spot on pass-rush depth for the final week of the preseason.
Fehoko, who has yet to play a regular-season snap due to injuries after being drafted in 2023, gives San Francisco another body on the defensive line with one exhibition game remaining.
For Deguara, the release is another chapter in a journeyman career that has now included four organizations. At 29, he remains a known quantity as a blocker and special-teams contributor and could draw interest from teams looking for veteran depth or a practice-squad option heading into the regular season.
The 49ers’ tight end group now looks more settled around Kittle, even if the seven-time Pro Bowler is expected to be limited early.
Deguara’s brief tenure underscores how quickly preseason roster calculations can change when a star player returns and a team elects to address a different positional need.
