Pro Football Rumors
Days after placing him on the active/non-football injury list with an undisclosed ailment, the 49ers have made the decision to release veteran safety George Odum, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Though, never a true starter in the San Francisco secondary, Odum earned second-team All-Pro honors as a special teamer in his first season with the team.
Odum’s special teams play was the reason that he found a home in the NFL to begin with. As an undrafted safety out of Central Arkansas in 2018, Odum signed with the Colts and made the initial 53-man roster because of his contributions on special teams. As a selfless, hard-working contributor, Odum was often called off the bench for spot starts and fill-in duty in the secondary. In his third season in Indianapolis, Odum was named as the first-team All-Pro special teamer in recognition of his contributions.
In the final year of his rookie contract in Indy, Odum started seven games due to injuries to starters Julian Blackmon and Andrew Sendejo. Still, when his contract expired, Odum signed with San Francisco because of his special teams abilities. In his first two years with the 49ers, he didn’t see any extended time on defense, almost solely working on special teams. Last year, though, Talanoa Hufanga‘s absence forced Odum into the starting lineup for the first two games of the season, and he got time in a Week 6 game in Seattle, as well, when Malik Mustapha exited early with an injury.
Odum hasn’t been immune to injuries himself, though, these past two seasons. His 2023 campaign ended after 11 games when he suffered a torn biceps injury, and he only played 12 games last year because of a knee injury late in the season.
Odum’s release continues an offseason of special teams changes under new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. The team is already heading into the 2025 season with a new longsnapper and punter, and veteran kicker Greg Joseph was brought in as some offseason competition for Jake Moody, as well. Odum was just the latest special teamer to fall under the new position coach.
Still, Odum is an extremely talented special teams asset, and for teams in need of depth at safety, Odum’s three interceptions, nine passes defensed, and four forced fumbles in limited time are nothing to scoff at. Expect a few teams to kick the tires on Odum and evaluate his health in the runup to the 2025 regular season.
