The San Francisco 49ers have been busy to start training camp, and the same has remained true for their front office. While there’s still time for the team to get healthy before Week 1 rolls around, they have already been forced to deal with a handful of injuries, which has prompted general manager John Lynch and company to sign a handful of players to join their team.
Several of those roster moves were made on Thursday, as four players were brought to town in order to add another level of competition on the field for San Francisco. One of the signings had a bit of extra meaning, though, as the Niners opted to ink the son of one of their current coaches in a heartwarming move.
49ers Sign Gus Bradley’s Son, Carter Bradley
If there’s one spot that the 49ers seem set at currently, it’s the quarterback position. Brock Purdy is the unquestioned starter, with Mac Jones acting as his backup, and Kurtis Rourke rounding out the depth chart alongside Tanner Mordecai. With Rourke recovering from a torn ACL, though, the Niners decided to add another quarterback, signing Carter Bradley on Thursday.
Bradley spent six years in college, spending four seasons with the Toledo Rockets before transferring to the South Alabama Jaguars for the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, where he started under center. Bradley led the Sun Belt with 28 passing touchdowns in 2022, but he didn’t generate much interest in the 2024 NFL Draft, as he ended up going undrafted.
The Las Vegas Raiders scooped up Bradley and stashed him on their practice squad last year, but they released him back in July. The Niners decided to take a flier on Bradley and bring him to town. Beyond the football fit, he’s the son of Gus Bradley, who is San Francisco’s assistant head coach for the 2025 campaign.
“Carter Bradley is the son of 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley,” Kyle Posey of Niners Nation wrote when taking a closer look at the move. “He was an undrafted free agent in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bradley spent time on the Raiders’ practice squad during the 2024 season. Gus was the defensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2021.”
49ers’ Signing of Carter Bradley a Feel-Good Story
At this point, it seems pretty unlikely that Carter is going to crack San Fran’s initial 53-man roster. Once again, his best odds of sticking around are with the practice squad, which could end up happening. Regardless of what happens, though, it will surely be a great experience to work alongside his dad, Gus, for the first time in his professional career.
The 49ers have some great competitions taking place up and down their roster, and that suddenly includes the quarterback position, where Carter could be looking to earn a spot as the emergency QB on the practice squad. It’s not a glamorous job, but you’ve got to start somewhere, and there may not be a better opportunity for him to grow and develop than San Francisco, where he will be working alongside his father.
