San Francisco 49ers

49ers get busy bolstering offense on eve of free agency

Published Mar. 8, 2017 10:14 p.m. ET

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) The San Francisco 49ers are making moves to upgrade their struggling offense, agreeing to a two-year deal with free-agent quarterback Brian Hoyer and a four-year contract with Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

A person familiar with the agreements confirmed both players chose the Niners. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals can't be officially signed until the start of the new league year on Thursday. NFL Network first reported the contracts.

San Francisco entered its first free-agency period under new coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch with no quarterbacks on the roster after last year's starter Colin Kaepernick opted out of his deal last week. Backups Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder and Thad Lewis are also free agents.

Shanahan will begin his tenure with a familiar quarterback. Hoyer made 13 starts for Cleveland in 2014 when Shanahan was offensive coordinator. Hoyer won seven of those starts and threw for a career-high 3,326 yards that season.