49ers Expected to Sign Veteran Cornerback Nate Hobbs to One-Year Deal

The San Francisco 49ers moved to bolster their secondary this week, reaching an agreement to sign cornerback Nate Hobbs to a one-year contract, multiple sources confirmed. NFL insider Jordan Schultz was first to report the expected signing, with NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan and Matt Maiocco independently confirming the deal Thursday night. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported the contract carries a base value of $4 million and a maximum value of $4.5 million, while NFL Network's Tom Pelissero described it simply as worth $4.5 million.

The signing reunites Hobbs with NFL competition after a brutal 2025 campaign in Green Bay. He had signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers before that season, but suffered three separate knee injuries: a torn meniscus in training camp, a torn MCL in his other knee after Week 9, and another torn MCL in Week 17. He finished with 27 combined tackles and two pass deflections across 11 games and five starts before his season ended. Green Bay declined to pay his $6.25 million roster bonus on March 10, releasing him from a contract that would have paid him $8.8 million this season. The 49ers' deal, by comparison, is roughly half that figure at its maximum.

Before his year in Wisconsin, Hobbs had built a credible four-season resume with the Las Vegas Raiders after being selected out of Illinois in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He recorded 281 tackles, 19 pass deflections, three interceptions, three sacks, and three forced fumbles across 51 games in Las Vegas, though he also missed 14 games during that stretch due to injuries.

In San Francisco, Hobbs is expected to fill a rotational role behind cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout in Raheem Morris' defense. Schultz wrote that Hobbs would be "a key factor in Raheem Morris' secondary," while ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted he "was hurt for much of last year but was a big free agent in 2025." Pro Football Focus offered a longer-view endorsement, calling Hobbs "one of the best run defending corners in football since entering the league."

At 26, with his June birthday approaching, Hobbs arrives at Levi's Stadium with health questions still trailing him but legitimate credentials underneath them. Whether he can stay on the field will determine whether a $4.5 million gamble becomes a secondary upgrade or another footnote in a career interrupted by injury.