The Green Bay Packers’ receiver room has been flipped upside down in recent days, but not in the way Packers fans imagined. When the Packers took Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round, fans believed they had a duo that could challenge the veterans and push for playing time in their rookie seasons.
Unfortunately, the receiver group has been altered in a different way. Injuries have hit Green Bay’s pass catchers over the past few weeks, and it leaves the Packers scrambling for replacements ahead of their second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. With the need for warm bodies before Saturday’s contest, the Packers could be calling some old friends to suit up. But they can cross one name off the list after he signed with an NFC competitor.
BREAKING: The San Francisco #49ers are signing @USFLPanthers WR Malik Turner, per league source.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) August 13, 2025
Turner was a weapon in the #UFL with Michigan in 2025 (365 yards/4 TD) - exploding for 269 yards & 4 TD's in the postseason.
NFL vet brings depth to SF's receiver room. #UFLtoNFL pic.twitter.com/K3Vdv8PbEN
49ers Sign Former Packers WR Malik Turner After UFL Performance
According to Pro Football Newsroom’s James Larsen, the San Francisco 49ers are signing former Packers receiver Malik Turner. A five-year NFL veteran who hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2022, Turner took his chances with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers last spring.
His regular-season performance was solid with 40 catches for 365 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games, but he turned it up a notch, making 16 grabs for 267 yards and four touchdowns in two playoff games.
A performance like that creates hope that Turner’s attempt to get back into the NFL will go better than his previous ones. An UDFA out of Illinois, Turner spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before making a pitstop in Green Bay as a training camp receiver. He ended up playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and 2021 and last appeared in a regular-season game with the 49ers in 2022.
Turner has been all over the NFL since then. He was a member of the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans practice squads in 2022, joined the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in 2023, and was on the 49ers practice squad in 2024. There’s also an opportunity for the 29-year-old as San Francisco is waiting on Brandon Aiyuk’s recovery from a knee injury and lost Jordan Watkins to a high ankle sprain this week.
While his stay in San Francisco could be similar to the one in Green Bay, it’s the type of chance veterans get this time of year. It may also be a glimpse at the Packers’ future as they look for replacements to get through the remainder of the preseason.