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Garrett Bartholomew Celek (born May 29, 1988) is a former
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
who played his entire career for the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
. Celek signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2012. He is the brother of former
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
tight end
Brent Celek Brent Steven Celek (; born January 25, 1985) is an American professional football executive and former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was sel ...
.


Early life

Celek attended La Salle High School in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, Ohio, where he played on the football team and was selected to the PrepStar's All-Midwest Team.


College career

In his freshman year, he played in 12 games, notching 6 receptions, 50 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown. On September 20, 2008, he caught 2 receptions for 15 yards against Notre Dame to help
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
win the game, 23–7. In his sophomore year, he played in 10 games and he recorded 3 receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown. On October 10, 2009, he had 2 receptions for 20 yards against
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, in a 24–14 Michigan State victory. In his junior year, he played in the first two games on the season, with his performance of September 11, 2010, against Florida Atlantic netting his season total of 2 receptions and 17 receiving yards against as Michigan State won, 30–17. In his senior year, he played in 14 games and recorded 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. On September 10, 2011, he had one reception for 8 yards and a touchdown against Florida Atlantic as Michigan State won, 44–0. In his college career, he played four seasons at Michigan State. He played in 38 games, including 12 starts. He recorded 14 receptions, 135 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns during his tenure.


Professional career


Pre-draft

Coming out of college, Celek was projected by NFL Draft experts and analysts from NFL.com and DraftScout.com to be drafted in the sixth or seventh round. He was rated as the 13th-best tight end available in the Draft, out of the 73 available by DraftScout.com. Although he was not invited to the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
, he did participate at Cincinnati's Pro Day.


2012 season

On April 29, 2012, the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
signed Celek as an undrafted free agent after he went unselected in the
2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. He was signed to a three-year, $1.44 million contract. On September 1, 2012, he earned a spot on the 53-man roster. He began his rookie season as the fourth tight end on the depth chart behind veteran
Vernon Davis Vernon Leonard Davis (born January 31, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, earning first-team All-American h ...
,
Delanie Walker Hubert Delanie Walker (born August 12, 1984) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Central Missouri Mules footbal ...
, and Demarcus Dobbs. On October 7, 2012, he made his first career reception against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
after making his debut against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
the previous week. He finished his rookie season with four catches for 51 receiving yards and appeared in 13 regular-season contests. The 49ers finished with an 11–4–1 record in his rookie year and he appeared in
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...
, losing to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
.


2013 season

During the offseason, the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
acquired wide receiver
Anquan Boldin Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. (; born October 3, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and w ...
in a trade with the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. Celek gave the No. 81 jersey he wore as a rookie to Boldin as Boldin had worn it his entire career. Celek began the 2013 regular season as the third tight end behind veteran Vernon Davis and rookie Vance McDonald. He appeared in the season opener and started the following week, but did not make his first catch of the season until Week 3. During that game he only made one reception for 30 yards in the 49ers' 7–27 loss to the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. Celek finished his second season with two catches for 38 yards in 12 games and one start. On January 5, 2014, he made his first career catch in the postseason after catching a pass from
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he gained na ...
and taking it for six yards during a victory over the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. The San Francisco 49ers made it to the
NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
game that season, but lost to the eventual
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
champions, the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, by a score of 23–17.


2014 season

Celek started the 2014 season, missing the first 11 games with back and hamstring injuries. On November 27, he started his first game of the season during a loss to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
. The next game, he made his first catch of the season and finished with one reception for 22 yards during a 24–13 loss to the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
. After returning, Celek was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury during a Week 15 loss to the Seahawks. Celek was limited to two receptions and 53 receiving yards during the 2014 season and started one game while only appearing in three.


2015 season

On March 7, 2015, Celek signed a one-year, $710,000 contract to remain with the 49ers. The contract also included a $25,000 signing bonus. Celek began his first season under new head coach
Jim Tomsula James Andrew Tomsula (born April 14, 1968) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Rhein Fire of the European League of Football (ELF). Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach f ...
remaining as the third tight end behind both Davis and McDonald. He started the 49ers' season opener against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
, finishing the 20–3 win with a season-high three receptions and 40 receiving yards. On October 11, 2015, against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, Celek caught a 5-yard reception from Colin Kaepernick for his first NFL touchdown. On November 8, 2015, he caught two passes for 12 yards and a season-high two touchdowns during a 17–16 victory over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
. Celek finished 2015 with a total of 19 receptions, 186 receiving yards, and three touchdown receptions while starting 8 games and appearing in 11.


2016 season

On February 24, 2016, the 49ers signed Celek to a four-year, $10.20 million contract with $3.50 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.50 million. In his first season under new head coach
Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as a college foo ...
, Celek was named the second tight end behind Vance McDonald to begin the season. In the season-opening 28–0 victory over the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
, Celek made one reception for 15 yards. On October 2, 2016, he made a career-high five receptions for a career-high 79 receiving yards during the 49ers' 24–17 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. On November 27, he caught two passes for 19 yards and a 4-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick for his first touchdown of the season during a 24–31 loss to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
. Celek finished the season with 29 receptions for 350 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and six starts.


2017 season

In 2017, Celek recorded 21 receptions for 336 yards and four touchdowns as the 49ers finished with a 6–10 record.


2018 season

In 2018, Celek recorded five receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns as the 49ers finished with a 4–12 record.


2019 season

On August 31, 2019, Celek was placed on reserve/PUP to begin the season. He was activated on November 11, 2019 prior to Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2019. Without Celek, the 49ers reached
Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...
, but lost 31–20 to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
.


Retirement

On February 7, 2020, Celek announced his retirement from the NFL via Instagram.


NFL statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Personal life

Celek is the son of Steve and Debbie Celek and is one of six children. He is the younger brother of former
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
tight end
Brent Celek Brent Steven Celek (; born January 25, 1985) is an American professional football executive and former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was sel ...
, who also played under former San Francisco 49ers' head coach
Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as a college foo ...
in Philadelphia.


References


External links


Michigan State bio

San Francisco 49ers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Celek, Garrett 1988 births Living people American football tight ends Michigan State Spartans football players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Cincinnati La Salle High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) alumni