Jacob Tonges ( ; born July 8, 1999) is an American professional football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Tonges was born on July 8, 1999, in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to Los Gatos, California with his family when he was five years old. He attended Los Gatos High School, originally starting out as a quarterback his freshman and sophomore year, before transitioning into a two-way player, becoming a tight end and defensive back. Tonges received offers from various schools such as Sacramento State, Columbia, and many others, but decided to walk-on at the University of California, Berkeley.
At the University of California, Tonges was a member of the California Golden Bears for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman year. As a redshirt senior, he caught 22 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Tonges finished his collegiate career with 47 receptions for 620 yards and four touchdowns.
Tonges signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2022. He made the Bears' initial 53-man roster out of training camp. Tonges was waived on November 10, and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Chicago on January 9, 2023.
On August 8, 2023, Tonges was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers. He was waived nine days later.
On September 27, 2023, Tonges signed with the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers on February 13, 2024.
On April 17, 2025, Tonges re-signed with the 49ers. On September 7, he recorded his first career reception and his first career touchdown, which turned out to be the game winner, in a 17âÂÂ13 road victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
On March 12, 2026, Tonges re-signed with San Francisco on a two-year, $8 million contract, with $3.5 million guaranteed.