88 Garrett Celek TE

Celek (back) announced his decision to retire from the NFL on Friday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Celek appeared in five games with San Francisco in 2019, during which he contributed as a blocker across 63 snaps on offense. He spent the entire duration of his eight-year career with the 49ers, most notably having surpassed 300 receiving yards in two straight seasons with the team from 2016-17.

The 49ers placed Celek (back) on injured reserve Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Celek spent the first nine weeks of the season on the PUP list due to a back injury, and he'll now shift to IR due to what appears to be a related issue. The veteran appeared in five contests with the 49ers in 2019, during which he played 63 snaps on offense but was not targeted.

Celek finished second in tight end snaps behind George Kittle with 31 percent in Sunday's 37-8 win over Green Bay.

Celek returned from injured reserved Week 10, but this was the first time he finished with more snaps over fellow backup Ross Dwelley. It could have just been scheming, but it is worth noting that the veteran has routinely served as the backup tight end in this offense due to his plus blocking skills. Even with an elevated role, Celek does not carry fantasy value heading into Sunday's contest with Baltimore.

Celek (back) has no injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Celek turned in two limited practices during the week before logging a full one Friday. He'll hope to log more than the 12 snaps he saw in his season debut Week 10.

Celek (back) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Celek recovered from a back injury and returned from the PUP list for Week 10's loss to the Seahawks. The 31-year-old tight end logged 12 offensive snaps in his season debut, and he didn't garner a target despite George Kittle (knee/ankle) being out of the picture. There's no reason to think Celek won't be able to play Sunday against the Cardinals as long as he stays on the practice field in some capacity.

The 49ers activated Celek (back) from the PUP list Monday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Celek is eligible to play in Monday's game against the Seahawks, and his activation signals George Kittle (knee) -- who was considered doubtful -- will be inactive. He suited up in 15 games for the Niners last year, catching five passes for 90 yards and two scores. Celek will compete with Levine Toilolo and Ross Dwelley for reps, although the 31-year-old may be limited with minimal practice leading up to the contest.

Celek's (back) 21-day window to return from the PUP list was opened by the 49ers on Tuesday.

Celek has been out all year after offseason back surgery. He now gets up to three weeks to practice before the team has to decide whether to activate him or let him miss the rest of 2019.

The 49ers placed Celek (back) on the reserve/PUP list to begin the season, per the league's official transactions report.

Celek is working his way back from offseason back surgery. He may return in the regular season, but he will not be eligible to play or practice for the first six weeks.

Celek was placed on the 49ers' PUP list Friday with a back injury, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Celek underwent back surgery this offseason. It was originally reported in early June that the 31-year-old would miss two months, but Niners general manager John Lynch told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle that Celek will likely start the regular season on the PUP list.

Celek underwent back surgery this offseason and will be out for two months, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned two weeks ago that Celek was going to be sidelined for most of the offseason while still in concussion protocol, but it turns out back surgery is the main reason. Celek will certainly miss training camp, and it's unclear whether the tight end will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Celek (thumb/concussion) will not be cleared to play before training camp, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Celek ended the season on the sideline with a concussion, and head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Tuesday that the tight end is still going through the league's concussion protocol. With Celek out for the next couple of months, Levine Toilolo, whom the 49ers signed last week, should get extra reps at tight end during practices.

Celek (concussion/thumb) will have competition at tight end after the 49ers used a sixth-round pick on Kaden Smith in April's draft and signed Levine Toilolo on Wednesday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Celek played through a broken thumb for most of last season, catching just five passes across 277 offensive snaps in 15 games. He sat out Week 17 while recovering from a concussion and then had surgery on his thumb during the offseason. Celek may now be in danger of losing his roster spot, but it helps that he's scheduled for a reasonable $2.7 million cap hit in the final season of his four-year contract, per OverTheCap.com. Celek and Toilolo will likely compete for a blocking role behind George Kittle.

Celek (concussion) is recovering from thumb surgery but should be ready for the start of the offseason program, Joe Fann of the 49ers' official website reports.

Celek sat out Week 17 with a concussion, finishing the regular season with five catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. He averaged just 18.5 snaps per game on offense as the clear No. 2 tight end behind George Kittle, after averaging 37.9 per game in 2016 and 35.0 in 2017. Celek will turn 31 in May and only has one season remaining on his contract, but a reasonable salary combined with special-teams contributions should be enough to keep his roster spot safe. It doesn't sound like the thumb injury will have much impact on his offseason routine.

Celek (concussion) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Celek was able to practice in a limited fashion this week, but not able to clear the concussion protocol. The 30-year-old will head into the offseason having caught five of eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. Sunday will mark the first time Celek has missed a game since 2015.

Celek (concussion) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Celek will still have to clear the league's concussion protocol before receiving the green light to play in the season finale Sunday against the Rams. For now, the fact that he's on the field in any capacity suggests he's at least made some progress through the five-step protocol after being diagnosed with the head injury during the Week 16 loss to the Bears.

Celek (concussion) is in the concussion protocol Monday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.comreports.

Celek suffered a head injury during Sunday's 14-9 loss to the Bears and will need to clear the league-mandated protocol before retaking the field. Due to the nature of such injuries and the 49ers being eliminated from playoff contention, it wouldn't be a surprise if Celek were to sit out versus the Rams in Week 17.

Celek (concussion) will not return to Sunday's game against the Bears, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Celek was unable to clear the league's concussion protocol and will therefore be sidelined for the remainder of Sunday's tilt while George Kittle continues to rack up a healthy share of reps at tight end.

Celek left Sunday's game against the Bears with a head injury and will be evaluated for a concussion, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Celek must clear the league's concussion protocol before potentially returning to the field Sunday. If he's unable to make a return, however, George Kittle would see a majority of the work at tight end, with Ross Dwelley providing additional depth.

Celek caught both of his targets, picking up 61 receiving yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 26-23 overtime win against the Seahawks.

With his second score of the season Sunday against Seattle, the 30-year-old tight end now has multiple receiving touchdowns in four straight seasons (failed to score a TD through the first 32 games of his career). Celek only had six targets all year entering Week 15, so a bountiful fantasy day certainly came as a surprise, with his 41-yard touchdown catch from Nick Mullens serving as a key turning point in the 49ers upset win. He remains a long shot to put forth another startable output in Week 16, with George Kittle retaining over 92 percent of the tight end targets this year for San Francisco, and a prohibitive matchup against the Bears top-10 pass defense forthcoming.

Celek was unable to convert his only target into a catch during Sunday's 39-10 loss to the Rams.

Celek has not caught a pass since Week 3 and has been targeted just twice during that span. Don't expect things to get much better. Celek is playing with a backup quarterback in a passing game that is running through fellow tight end George Kittle. If the sparse opportunities weren't enough, Sunday's matchup against a surprisingly stingy Arizona pass defense should further push down Celek's value.