National Football League

49ers sign wideout Marlon Moore to one-year deal

Published Mar. 20, 2013 12:47 a.m. ET

foxsports

Marlon Moore is coming home to the West Coast and his native Northern California, with a chance to contribute to the San Francisco 49ers team he grew up watching.

The NFC champion Niners added depth to their new-look receiving group by signing the wideout to a one-year contract Tuesday.

Moore couldn't wait to call his mother, Gail, to share the news.

''The winning tradition that this team had started when I was a kid and it definitely manifested to now,'' he said during a conference call. ''Being a California kid and watching these guys growing up put me in a good spot coming here to compete for a job. It's a dream come true knowing that my family is right across the bridge and not too far from me.''

Moore played college football at Fresno State, wrapping up his career with 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The one thing that hurts right now is that his father won't be there to see him suit up for San Francisco. Ernie Moore was diagnosed with liver cancer in July 2008 and died that October.

''I wish my father was here with me,'' he said. ''My dad wanted me to continue working. It was my dream and it was also his dream. I give a lot of love to my father, and my mother and my brother, for where I'm at now.''

Now, he is eager for a new start with a franchise back to its old winning ways - the kind of success Moore recalls watching during his youth.

Moore insists he will play wherever the 49ers want him, and he is confident he can make plays to contribute to another special season. Even if that means returning kicks.

''I'm coming in with an open mind ready to work and fill whatever need they need me to fill,'' he said. ''For the most part they know what I'm capable of with my offensive ability and my special teams ability.''

Last week, San Francisco acquired Anquan Boldin in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the 49ers 34-31 in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

The 25-year-old Moore, from Sacramento, played the past three seasons with the Miami Dolphins after joining them as an undrafted free agent in April 2010. He has 12 career catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns in 29 games.

Mario Manningham is working his way back from reconstructive left knee surgery and Randy Moss isn't expected to return after one season, so Boldin and Michael Crabtree will lead the 49ers unit. Moore already had a chance to speak to Manningham.

''Those guys, I definitely watched Michael Crabtree in college, and Anquan Boldin coming up with me,'' Moore said. ''It's not all about speed it's also about the knowledge of the game, and that's what I want to learn from those guys.''

Returning home was an added bonus for Moore, who is thrilled to join a team that came so close to winning the Lombardi Trophy last season and is determined to build a team to take the next step in 2013.

''It intrigued me and it made me want to come here,'' he said. ''I'm ready to win a lot of games and possibly go to the Super Bowl.''