Eli Harold explains why being traded by 49ers was ‘best thing' for him

Share

Sometimes, a change of scenery is the best thing for a young player.

For former 49ers linebacker Eli Harold, that appears to be the case, as the soon-to-be 25-year-old sent out this tweet Friday morning.

Harold, a third-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2015, recorded five total sacks and 84 combined tackles over three seasons in San Francisco. Not terrible numbers.

But before the 2018 season, the 49ers traded Harold to the Detroit Lions for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick. In his first season with the Lions, Harold registered just 10 total tackles, but he had a career-high four sacks.

During the 2016 season, Harold was one of the first players on the team to kneel in protest of social injustices along with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid and others. Harold, Reid and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin led the protests during the 2017 season.

Contact Us