The 49ers have a slew of decisions to make in the offseason as they maneuver around the salary cap while retooling their roster. One of those decisions will be whether they hold on to running back Jerick McKinnon.
McKinnon on Wednesday told reporters he’d like to stay with the team, but he hasn’t communicated yet with the organization about his future.
It’s been a rocky tenure in San Francisco for the 27-year-old running back. He signed a four-year deal worth $30 million with $16 million guaranteed before the 2018 season. He tore his ACL a week before that season was going to start, then had multiple setbacks while trying to return in 2019, and was put on season-ending IR again before final roster cuts.
Going into the 2020 offseason, McKinnon is slated to make $6.5 million in base salary while carrying an $8.55 million cap hit.
The 49ers aren’t in a necessarily easy spot when it comes to deciding what to do with McKinnon. First, there’s the financial element. Without a restructure, cutting McKinnon would save the 49ers $4.5 million in cap space, with a $4 million dead cap hit.
This is a player head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to center the offense around in 2018, which is why the 49ers paid the career-backup like a starter. If they believe he’s healthy, there’s a good chance Shanahan will want to keep him around.
It’s worth considering too running back Matt Breida is a free agent this offseason and effectively fell out of the rotation late in the year. He had just 17 carries across the 49ers’ final six games, and fumbled three times in those 17 attempts. That leaves Tevin Coleman, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert as the three running backs under contract for next year.
Wilson, a former undrafted free agent, spent most of the season among the inactives after starting the year on the practice squad. If McKinnon is healthy, it stands to reason the 49ers would prefer having him on the roster over Wilson.
There’s also a human element to player personnel that may act as a driving force in McKinnon getting another year to get healthy in Santa Clara. Cutting a player before he can suit up in the regular season because of injury is a tough call. While running a football team is a business, setting the precedent that a player may not even get an opportunity to play due to circumstances outside of his control could be something San Francisco wants to avoid.
Ultimately it comes down to how healthy the 49ers think McKinnon is going into next season. They can’t keep him on the books if they’re wary of his knee.
On the other hand, he will have had all this year and the offseason to rehab. If he looks as explosive as he was before the injury, it’s hard to believe San Francisco won’t find a spot for him on their roster and make him a regular part of the offense.