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Former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens began his pro career with the Niners. USA TODAY Sports

Top five players who suited up for both the 49ers and Eagles

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 12/2/23

There may be no love lost between the 49ers and Eagles this week, but these former players have a rooting interest for both teams.

Kicker, David Akers

The Eagles sent Akers to play with the Berlin Thunder in the short-lived NFL Europe league after claiming him off waivers from Washington in 1999. He’d win the starting job a year later and spend 12 years in Philadelphia.

Akers made five Pro Bowls with two All-Pro nominations as an Eagle and remains the team’s all-time leading scorer with 1,323 points. Despite his success, Philadelphia let him sign a three-year, $9M contract with San Francisco in 2011.

In his first year with the Niners, Akers broke Gary Anderson’s record for most points by a kicker in one season with 166 points. A year later he tied the then-NFL record for the longest field goal against the Green Bay Packers with a 63-yard kick at Lambeau Field.

Quarterback, Jeff Garcia

Without interest from an NFL team, Garcia spent the first four years of his professional career in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders. After helping the team win the Grey Cup in 1998, he signed with San Francisco in 1999 to be the team’s backup quarterback.

In four years with the 49ers, Garcia threw for 16,408 yards and 113 touchdowns and made three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Following brief stints in Cleveland and Detroit, Garcia agreed to back up Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb in 2006.

After McNabb went down with a knee injury, Garcia went 5-1 in the team’s last six games, helping the team win the NFC East by beating the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day.

After this win over the Cowboys in 2006, QB Jeff Garcia yelled "Merry Christmas, Philadelphia" coming off the field pic.twitter.com/5nXZQ4jsEi
— Dave Spadaro (@EaglesInsider) December 25, 2015

Wide receiver, Terrell Owens

Owens had a short but memorable career in Philadelphia after coming over from San Francisco in 2004. The 49ers took Owens in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft with the 89th pick overall. The tumultuous receiver had 592 catches, 8,572 yards and 81 touchdowns with San Francisco with four Pro Bowl appearances and three All-Pro nominations.

Despite those numbers and his obvious talent, Owens often rubbed people the wrong way. In 2004 the team tried to trade him to Baltimore but ultimately sent him to Philadelphia with the help of an arbitrator.

Owens paid immediate dividends for the Eagles, catching 77 passes for 1,200 yards before missing the last two games with a broken leg. Remarkably, Owens returned for Super Bowl XXXIX where he led the team with nine catches for 122 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Patriots.

Feeling he deserved a new contract after his Super Bowl performance, Owens openly criticized McNabb and clashed with the coaching staff before being suspended, and then released after the 2005 season.

Running back, Ricky Watters

Watters made the Pro Bowl in each of his first five seasons after being drafted by San Francisco in 1992. In three years with the 49ers, Watters had 2,840 yards rushing, 1,450 yards receiving and 33 touchdowns. His three scores helped the team win Super Bowl XXIX.

The Pennsylvania native joined the Eagles in 1995 and spent the next three years with the team. Despite 5,112 total yards and 32 touchdowns with the team, Watters is best remembered for his infamous, “For who, for what?” comments after short-arming a pass from quarterback Randall Cunningham in his first game as an Eagle.

Running back, Brian Westbrook

With 5,995 yards and 37 touchdowns, Westbrook remains the Eagles’ third-leading rusher behind LeSean McCoy and Wilbert Montgomery. After breaking the all-time NCAA record with 9,512 all-purpose yards at nearby Villanova University, Philadelphia took Westbrook in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Westbrook also had 426 catches for 3,790 yards in eight years with the team but after an injury-plagued 2009 season, he was released by Philadelphia and signed by San Francisco in 2010.

Serving as the backup to Frank Gore, Westbrook started just five games with the 49ers. He finished 2010 with 340 yards rushing, 150 yards receiving and five total touchdowns. That season would be his last before retiring as a Philadelphia Eagle in 2012.

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