49ers Free Agency Primer

By Scooter_McG

Free agency is just around the corner with the new league year set to commence on March 16th. At that time the 49ers will need to be under the 2022 salary cap, and will be free to finalise any trades and sign free agents from other teams. The 49ers have already been busy re-signing some of their own free agents in recent days (Nate Sudfeld, Jake Brendel, Kevin Givens, Jauan Jennings, JaMycal Hasty, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Maurice Hurst and Colton McKivitz), while also signing OG Keaton Sutherland. 

Interestingly, their two RFAs (Al-Shaair and Brunskill) are yet to be offered tenders. The team will likely want to keep both players, but maybe not on an RFA tender. I wouldn't be surprised if neither player is tendered but perhaps a longer term deal (2-3 years) is reached for both players. 

In my previous three articles I've broken down the 49ers roster needs on offense and defense, as well as how the 49ers can free up as much as $50M to $60M in cap space. Here I will run through what I think the 49ers plans will be this free agency period.

A Look at the 49ers Free Agents

There are a number of 49ers players that will be entering free agency that the team would no doubt like to keep. The main guys will likely be Laken Tomlinson and DJ Jones, both of whom are high level starters and expected to be hot commodities in free agency that should be signed relatively quickly at a premium. As a result I don't expect either player to be back with the 49ers, however, if a market for either player fails to materialise or is softer than expected, the 49ers would be smart to stay in contact and swoop in. 

There are also a number of other starters or key role players the team will no doubt be interested in bringing back at the right price, including Jaquiski Tartt, K'Waun Williams and Arden Key, as well as Al-Shaair and Brunskill mentioned earlier. Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett, both of whom missed most of last year with serious injuries, will also likely be players the team keeps in contact with, with an eye for signing them on cheap, incentive laden contracts. Tom Compton may also be a player the team looks to bring back for depth, but I think it is unlikely they would look to bring him back as a potential starter. 

I don't expect the 49ers to make re-signing any of those players a priority, though as outlined above, I could see the team try and sign both Al-Shaair and Brunskill to deals prior to the start of free agency. Rather, I suspect the team will play more of a waiting game to see how the market develops for each player, with an eye to bringing them back on the relative cheap. 

49ers Rumoured Interest

Cornerback

There has already been quite strong rumours that the 49ers will be in the market for a few positions, but none stronger than their rumoured interest in a CB. It's a good year for it too, with a nice blend of top tier guys in their prime (JC Jackson, Carlton Davis), older high profile vets still playing at a high level (Stephon Gilmore, Casey Hayward), as well as a raft of mid-tier guys and other older vets that can still be good in the right situation. 

JC Jackson will be the prize of the free agent CB market and the 49ers are one of the teams said to be interested. But then any team looking at CBs is likely to be linked with Jackson, who is in his prime and arguably the top CB in the NFL today. Gilmore has also been linked to the 49ers and may be a realistic option as he is now on the wrong side of 30 and has battled injuries the past couple of seasons. The 49ers may see Gilmore as being able to provide a leadership presence at the back like Richard Sherman, while giving some of their younger players more time to develop. But even so, Gilmore will still likely command a sizeable contract.   

Rumours out of the combine though were that the 49ers were more likely to be playing in the mid-tier CB market. Given cap constraints as well as the presence of Moseley and promising play of Thomas at the back end of the season, the addition of a mid-tier level CB does appear to make sense. DJ Reed in particular has been strongly linked with a return and would be a nice addition to the defensive backfield with the versatility to play on the boundary or inside as needed.  

Right Tackle

While no names have been attached to the 49ers as far as RTs go, rumours from the combine were that the 49ers don't feel confident McGlinchey will be ready to start the season and want to bring in a starting calibre RT as insurance. The McGlinchey news isn't that big of a surprise given he will be coming back from the same type of injury that ended Weston Richburg's career. 

Unfortunately for the 49ers the free agent OT market doesn't look like it will be a particularly strong one. With supply limited, finding a player on the cheap the team feels confident can start the season if needed may be difficult. I wouldn't be shocked if the 49ers end up just bringing Tom Compton back, and looking to draft for depth. 

Big Slot

Some names the 49ers have been linked with in this space are JuJu Smith-Schuster and Austin Hooper. While Hooper won't be a free agent, the ongoing rumoured interest in him, as well as the team's previous attempts to either sign or draft a player to take this role (including Jalen Hurd and Jordan Reed) suggest there may be some fire behind this smoke. 

And it makes sense. While Deebo Samuel gets some reps from the slot, he is primarily an outside WR (and now part time RB). Their current primary option at slot WR is Jauan Jennings, another big bodied slot WR that played admirably last season but is not a dominant player. Getting someone like Smith-Schuster would provide a nice complement to the entire offense and another playmaker that can dominate the middle of the field. Having such a player will also provide some insurance if one of their stars gets injured. 

Guard

The rumours when it comes to OG are mainly centred around the team wanting to bring back Tomlinson. But unfortunately, as mentioned above, it sounds like Tomlinson is going to have a lot of suitors and it will be difficult for the 49ers to retain him.

The good news for the 49ers is that there are a lot of other good options available at OG in free agency. Some of the other big names on the market include Brandon Scherff, Andrew Norwell and Rodger Saffold. 

With so many options available the 49ers may have a good opportunity to bring in a talented player on a reasonable contract. 

Backup QB

This is a position that is more one people expect than anything the 49ers have specifically been linked to. Tyrod Taylor's name has done the rounds given his link to Anthony Lynn, while Marcus Mariota's name has been floated around but mainly by fans as a guy they would like to see as Lance's backup. 

The recent re-signing of Sudfeld, with $2M guaranteed, may suggest the team is happy to roll with Sudfeld behind Lance. But I don't think $2M should be seen as a deterrent to bringing in another veteran signal caller. In all likelihood the team is greasing Sudfeld's palms now in the hope he is happy to stick on the PS roster during the season.

Bobby Wagner and Chandler Jones

These two players have also been getting linked to the 49ers in recent days. Wagner would be an interesting addition to form a dominant LB duo with Warner, and the rumour is that interest is mutual between the 49ers and Wagner. But in the end money talks. Wagner is coming off a contract that paid him $18M per year on average. While he won't get near that again, he also won't come cheap. Wagner would be a luxury addition rather than a necessary one, and with other needs I just don't see it happening. 

The Chandler Jones rumours appear to be mostly fan fiction at this stage. No credible source has linked Jones to the 49ers. Jones has said he is more interested in going to a winner than the money, but there are plenty of teams that can provide Jones with a chance of winning. And while money may not be his primary motivation, he still won't play on the cheap. 

Scooter's Thoughts on Likely Main Targets

Based on the above I think the 49ers two primary targets in free agency will be a CB and an OG, with backup QB a close third. That's not to say they won't target or sign other positions, but those are the positions I think they will prioritise and in that order. 

At CB, I highly doubt the 49ers sign one of the big name players. My guess is that DJ Reed is pretty much option 1A for the 49ers. They know him, they like him, they didn't want to lose him, and they've now seen him develop into a good player for a rival.  

At OG, a guy I think would make a lot of sense for the 49ers is James Daniels from the Bears, who can also play center. He's an ascending player that is still very young and athletic. He will no doubt generate pretty strong interest in his own right, but can likely be had for less than the top line guys and provides upside.

At QB, I can't go past Tyrod Taylor. He just seems like a perfect mentor for Lance with the capability of winning games if he is needed to start. As much as Mariota would be nice, I don't see a scenario where he isn't signed somewhere to compete for a starter role this year. 

Other positions I think the 49ers may target are Big Slot and RT. In terms of Big Slot, JuJu Smith-Schuster is a guy the team has reportedly tried to sign in the past. The belief is that Shanahan is a fan. I can definitely see the 49ers making a push to sign him. Evan Engram may also be a guy the 49ers keep an eye on. At RT, the options really aren't that great but given McGlinchey's status they may feel the need to bring in an adequate veteran option to start rather than trusting a rookie through the draft.  

One position I haven't mentioned which could be a sneaky lower tier priority for the team is a complementary RB to Mitchell. Someone that can bring the speed element to the offense if Mostert is signed elsewhere. Last offseason the team tried to sign Cordarelle Patterson, and he is a name I think may be worth keeping an eye on for the 49ers this offseason.