49ers veteran offensive lineman Jon Feliciano is calling it a career.
Feliciano took to social media to announce his official retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons. It isn’t surprising news since 2024 was derailed for him due to a knee injury. He couldn’t overcome it to return to the 49ers in the middle of the season as they had hoped.
Feliciano stepped up for the 49ers in a major way in 2023 on the way to a Super Bowl appearance. He took over for Spencer Burford at right guard after Burford suffered an injury. Feliciano proved to be an immediate upgrade over Burford, thus the 49ers maintained his starting role in seven games.
Unfortunately for Feliciano and the 49ers, he would get hurt in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs and wouldn’t return. His absence played a significant role when Burford filled in. Burford is responsible for one of the game-defining plays when he allowed Chris Jones a free rushing lane late in the game.
Likely, Feliciano doesn’t commit the same mistake as Burford. You can imagine the frustration he must’ve felt for himself knowing the injury kept him out of the critical moment in the game. Feliciano was slated to be the starter again in 2024, but couldn’t stay healthy.
His injury paved the way for Dominick Puni to get reps and win the starting job. If Feliciano doesn’t get hurt, the odds are Puni doesn’t become the starter to begin the season. The 49ers should feel grateful to Feliciano. He deserves a nice send-off after what he gave them.