Patrick Willis Denies Report He’s Considering A Return To 49ers In 2016

Update:

Patrick Willis denied the report that he’s considering a return to the NFL on Thursday via his WhoSay account.

I MADE MY DECISION BACK IN APRIL AND I HAVEN’T THOUGHT TWICE ABOUT IT; NOR PLAYING ANOTHER DOWN IN THE NFL…PERIOD…SO QUIT TRYING TO BRING LIFE; on a CHAPTER that I have already CLOSED IN MY HEART and MIND…MY FOCUS IS IN THE PERFCT PLACE RIGHT NOW AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME…My PURPOSE 4 Life IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL; FOR I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME I WAS BLESSED TO PLAY ….IN THE GREAT WORDS OF 2-PAC #LIFEGOESON

———-

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report spoke to a source last night who mentioned that ILB Patrick Willis is considering a return to the 49ers in 2016.

Cole admits that Willis is no guarantee to come out of retirement, given that he is still dealing with a serious toe injury, but he’s reportedly at least considering it.

49ers RT Anthony Davis, who retired due to concussion issues during the offseason, is also expected to return to the team in 2016.

According to Cole, neither player is a lock to be back with the 49ers, but it’s something to keep an eye on over the coming months.

It’s worth mentioning that Willis previously mentioned that there was “zero” chance he would change his mind about retirement

“The time for me has come,” Willis said, via Pro Football Talk.  “The time has come.  It’s time for change, and honestly it’s something that when I had that [toe] surgery, I’ve been talking about my feet for a long time, and people choose to hear what they hear. Sometimes people hear something that they just brush right off because to them it doesn’t really resonate. . . .  I understand that it was something that was talking to me, and talking to me for a long time and when I hurt my toe in that game I felt like, as soon as it happened, I went down and I felt it.”

Willis, 30, had two years remaining on his seven-year, $53.51 million contract that included $29 million guaranteed when he retired. He would make base salaries of $7.065 million and $7.935 million over the final two years of the agreement.

Last year, Willis was limited to appearing in just six games due to a toe injury that led to him being placed on season-ending injured reserve.

In total, Willis played eight seasons for the 49ers and recorded 732 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, five recoveries, eight interceptions and scored two defensive touchdowns.

We’ll have more regarding Willis and a possible return to the NFL as the news is available.