Marquise Goodwin won't be on the field at Levi's Stadium on Sunday night, but he really, really wishes he could play.
The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, who opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns, apparently wants to face his former team in a bad way.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Goodwin spent the last three seasons with the 49ers, but they traded him to the Eagles during the 2020 NFL Draft in April.
The most productive season of Goodwin's career came in 2017, his first year with the 49ers, when he caught 56 passes for 962 yards. Both are career highs. He also caught two touchdowns that season.
Over his final two seasons with the 49ers, Goodwin caught 35 passes for 581 yards and found the end zone five times.
Download and subscribe to the 49ers Talk Podcast
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
In July, Goodwin decided to opt out of the 2020 NFL season, five months after he and his wife Morgan had a baby daughter. The Goodwins previously had lost two pregnancies to miscarriages.
"This is my reason, y'all," Goodwin said in a video posted on Twitter, while showing his newly born baby. "She is the reason I'm opting out for the season. After choosing football so many times, I feel I am inclined to make the right decision in choosing my family first.
"I won’t take the chance of experiencing another loss because of my selfish decision making," Goodwin said. "I can't do it. It's not something I'm willing to live with."
RELATED: What role Shanahan envisions for Deebo in return vs. Eagles
It's unclear if there was any animosity between Goodwin and the 49ers, but they did give him permission to seek out a new team shortly before they traded him to the Eagles.
It's possible Goodwin just wants a chance to show the 49ers what they are missing.
After the afternoon NFL games end Sunday, go to NBC Sports Bay Area or the MyTeams app at 4 p.m. PT for "49ers Pregame Live," as Laura Britt, Jeff Garcia, Donte Whitner, Ian Williams, Matt Maiocco, Jennifer Lee Chan and Grant Liffmann preview the "Sunday Night Football" matchup against the Eagles. Then, after the game, come back for "49ers Postgame Live," with highlights, analysis, interviews and more.