Malik Turner (born January 30, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-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 league's National ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and was originally signed by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in 2018 as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He also played for 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Early years

Turner attended

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, often abbreviated SHG, is a Catholic high school located in Springfield, Illinois, United States. It is the city's largest private school and is located in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. The school ope ...

, where he played football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. He received All-Central State Eight honors as a sophomore and junior. As a senior, he tallied 69 receptions for 1,378 yards (19.9-yard avg.) and 22 touchdowns, while contributing to a 14-0 record and an IHSA Class 5A state championship. He received Central State Eight Conference Player of the Year honors.

College career

Turner accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. As a true freshman, he appeared in 13 games with 5 starts at wide receiver. He registered 25 receptions for 256 yards and one touchdown. He had 6 receptions for 84 yards against

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

. As a sophomore, he appeared in 12 games with 10 starts. He posted 39 receptions for 510 yards (second on the team) and 3 receiving touchdowns (tied for the team lead). He had 11 catches for 126 yards against the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. As a junior, he started 11 games and missed one contest with an injury. He led the team with 48 receptions, 712 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. He had 11 receptions and 164 yards against

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He made 9 receptions for 107 yards against

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

. He was named honorable-mention All-Big Ten. As a senior, he started 9 out of 10 games. He missed 2 games with an injury. He collected 31 receptions (tied for the team lead), 326 receiving yards (second on the team) and 2 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 143 receptions (ninth in school history), 1,804 receiving yards (ninth in school history) and 10 receiving touchdowns.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

After an unsuccessful tryout at a minicamp with 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, Turner was signed by the

as an

on July 29, 2018. He was cut by the Seahawks at the end of training camp but was re-signed by the team to their practice squad on September 10, 2018. Turner was promoted to the Seahawks' active roster on October 31, 2018. Turner made his NFL debut on November 4, 2018 in a 17–25 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. Turner caught his first career pass, a 19-yard reception from

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played his first 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson is widely regarded ...

, in the Seahawks' 30–27 win over the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

on November 25, 2018. He was waived on December 22, 2018 and re-signed to the practice squad and was subsequently promoted back to the active roster on January 1, 2019. In his rookie season, Turner caught two passes for 20 yards in six games played. In a Monday Night Football game on November 11, 2019 against the

, after an injury to

Tyler Lockett Tyler Deron Lockett (born September 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college f ...

, Turner caught two passes for 35 yards, both in overtime. Turner caught a 33-yard pass from Wilson for his first career touchdown on November 24, 2019 in a 17–9 win over the

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. During the 2019 Divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers, Turner dropped a critical catch while wide open. On April 14, 2020, after originally receiving an exclusive-rights free agent tender, the Seahawks rescinded the tender, making Turner a free agent.

Green Bay Packers

On August 12, 2020, Turner signed with the

. He was waived on September 5, 2020.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 6, 2020, Turner was claimed off waivers by the

, to play on the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

units, helping to offset the loss of wide receiver

Ventell Bryant Ventell Jamal Bryant (born August 24, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Temple University. Early years Bryant was born to Luz Lebron and Oscar Bryant. He attended Thomas J ...

to a knee injury. He played in the first 4 games of the season, before being declared inactive in the next 12 contests. He appeared in 6 games and registered 2

tackles. On March 19, 2021, he was re-signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys. He was having problems with a turf toe in training camp and suffered a foot injury in the last preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On September 2, 2021, he was placed on injured reserve to start the season. He was activated on October 2, 2021. He was a backup and his most notable performance came in Week 9 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, where he almost made NFL history, by just missing a blocked punt in the third quarter (it didn't count because the Cowboys touched the ball after it crossed the line of scrimmage), that would've made him the first player ever to record 2 touchdown receptions and a blocked punt in a single-game. In Week 16 against the Washington Football Team, he had 3 receptions (including a 61-yard catch-and-run) for 82 yards and a touchdown, after playing just 13 offensive snaps. He finished the season with 12 receptions for 149 yards, 3 touchdowns and one special teams tackle. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

San Francisco 49ers (first stint)

On April 11, 2022, the

signed Turner to a one-year deal. He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on November 1.

Las Vegas Raiders

On November 4, 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Turner to their practice squad. He was released on December 20.

Houston Texans

On December 23, 2022, Turner was signed to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

practice squad.

Indianapolis Colts

On February 24, 2023, Turner signed with 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. He was waived/injured on August 18, 2023, and placed on injured reserve.

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

On July 25, 2024, Turner signed with the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

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San Francisco 49ers bioIllinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Malik 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Springfield, Illinois American football wide receivers Illinois Fighting Illini football players Seattle Seahawks players Green Bay Packers players Dallas Cowboys players San Francisco 49ers players Las Vegas Raiders players Houston Texans players Indianapolis Colts players San Francisco 49ers players