Trent Taylor

Trent Nelson Taylor (born April 30, 1994) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana Tech and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has previously played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears.

Early life
Taylor attended Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he played high school football for the Eagles. He had 107 receptions for 1,650 yards and 20 touchdowns his senior year and 65 catches for 1,075 yards and 18 touchdowns his junior year. He committed to Louisiana Tech University to play college football.

College career
Taylor attended Louisiana Tech from 2013 to 2016. During his career, Taylor had 327 receptions for 4,179 yards and 32 touchdowns. The 327 receptions were a school record. In his final collegiate game, he was named the MVP of the 2016 Armed Forces Bowl after recording 12 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

College statistics
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San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers selected Taylor in the fifth round (177th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.

On September 10, 2017, in his NFL debut, Taylor had one reception for eight yards in the season opening 23–3 loss at home to the Carolina Panthers. In Week 3, against the Los Angeles Rams, he scored his first career touchdown, a three-yard pass from quarterback Brian Hoyer, in the fourth quarter, as the 49ers narrowly lost 41–39. Taylor finished his rookie season with 43 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

On September 20, 2019, Taylor was placed on injured reserve after suffering a setback from offseason foot surgery.

In the first game of 2020 and Taylor's first game since 2018, he caught two passes for 7 yards and returned 2 punts for 21 yards as the 49ers lost 24–20 to the Arizona Cardinals. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the 49ers on December 23, 2020, and activated on January 6, 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals
On May 17, 2021, Taylor signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He finished the regular season with 2 receptions for 41 yards, 4 kick returns for 68 yards, and 7 punts for 52 yards. On January 29, 2022, Taylor was promoted to the active roster for the AFC Championship Game. He caught a pass from Joe Burrow for a two-point conversion, tying the game at 21 in a game the Bengals went on to win 27–24, securing the Bengals' first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl XXIII in 1988.

On February 22, 2022, Taylor re-signed with the Bengals. He opened the 2022 season as the Bengals' primary punt returner along with being the team's backup slot receiver to starter Tyler Boyd. In the team's Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Taylor returned 5 punts for 31 yards. In Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, Taylor recorded 98 total yards, catching 3 passes for 18 yards, rushing for 14 yards on 2 attempts, in addition to returning 2 kicks for 15 yards and 3 punts for 52 yards along with fumbling a ball that the Bengals recovered. In Week 14 in a win against the Cleveland Browns, Taylor recorded one reception for a season-long 34 yards and returned 3 punts for 14 yards.

Taylor re-signed with the Bengals on one-year contract on March 27, 2023. He was released during final roster cuts August 29, 2023.

Chicago Bears
Taylor signed with the Chicago Bears on August 31, 2023. He played in all 17 games for Chicago, recording two targets and no receptions while working primarily as a punt returner (in which he logged 8.2 yards per return).

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)
On April 16, 2024, Taylor signed a one-year deal to return to the San Francisco 49ers.