Ex-49ers tight end Delanie Walker announces retirement

Former 49ers and Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker announced Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL more than two seasons after he last played a game.

Walker played the first seven seasons of his career with the 49ers, starting in 2006 after the Niners picked him on the sixth round of the NFL Draft out of Central Missouri.

He recorded 123 catches for 1,465 yards and eight touchdowns with the 49ers before signing in free agency with the Titans in 2013 after reaching two straight NFC title games — and one Super Bowl — with the Niners in 2011 and 2012. He had a game-winning touchdown against Detroit in October 2011 and was one of just four 49ers to catch passes in the Super Bowl XLVII loss to the Ravens (three catches for 48 yards).

With the 49ers, Walker was always the No. 2 tight end behind fellow 2006 draftee Vernon Davis, but he went on to reach three Pro Bowls in seven seasons with the Titans, more than doubling his production over his time with the 49ers (381 catches for 4,423 yards and 28 touchdowns).

Tennessee released Walker in 2020 after two injury-impacted seasons.

He signed a one-day contract Tuesday to retire as a member of the Titans, who will honor him at halftime of their home game Sunday against the Colts.

“When I came into this league, I wasn’t a big name, and I left this league with a big name and that just shows I worked hard for this,” Walker told the Titans’ website. “I worked hard to put myself on the map, and to prove to myself I was an elite player in this league.”