The eccentric Chip Kelly is kicking off his tenure in San Francisco with an unorthodox move.
The 49ers are signing Canadian Football League wide receiver Eric Rogers to a two-year deal, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Rogers will receive a $125,000 signing bonus, $75K in bonuses and a $100K base salary guarantee, making him the NFL's most expensive CFL signing since the Dolphins signed defensive end Cameron Wake from the British Columbia Lions.
Rogers played college ball at Cal Lutheran before signing a contract with the Cowboys in 2013 as an undrafted free agent. Rogers did not make the roster and, following a nine-game stint with the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League, was signed by the Calgary Stampeders in 2014. His performance in the 2014 postseason led Calgary to a Grey Cup victory and the wideout led the league in 2015 with 1,448 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Rogers had previously seen tryouts with the Patriots, Colts and Giants.
The 24-year-old big-bodied target will be a welcome addition to a barren cupboard of wide receivers in Santa Clara. The 49ers' leading receiver -- Anquan Boldin -- is 35 years old, finished with just 789 yards in 2015, his lowest total since 2004, and has one year left on his deal. In his first season by the Bay, Torrey Smith finished with a career-low 33 receptions and 663 yards.
Kelly has a lot of decisions to make on the offensive side of the ball -- mainly, whether Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert or a draft pick to be named later will be these wideouts' quarterback in 2016. While that critical decision has yet to be made, you can't blame Kelly for stepping out of the box, and the country, to find ways to fix a flailing offense in San Fran.
