2020 NFL Free Agency: Can the Saints lure Emmanuel Sanders away from the 49ers?

Big-name pending free agents for the San Francisco 49ers include Emmanuel Sanders and Arik Armstead, either of whom would help the Saints.

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Our free agency series rolls on as we turn our sights towards the San Francisco 49ers. After a tough break in the Super Bowl, the 49ers may want to retool heading into the next season. That could bode well for the New Orleans Saints in terms of additional options on the free agent market.

San Francisco has 23 potential free agents, and there are a few who could be of some real interest to the Saints, especially if New Orleans wants to make a bold move and shake up the NFC hierarchy. Here are their pending free agents:

WR Emmanuel Sanders
FS Jimmie Ward
CB Jason Verrett
DE Arik Armstead
T Shon Coleman
C Ben Garland
TE Levine Toilolo
DE Damontre Moore
WR Jordan Matthews
CB Dontae Johnson
DT Sheldon Day
DE Anthony Zettel
DE Ronald Blair
DT Ethan Westbrooks
OLB Elijah Lee (RFA)
RB Matt Breida (RFA)
WR Kendrick Bourne (RFA)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (ERFA)
QB Nick Mullens (ERFA)
TE Ross Dwelley (ERFA)
RB Jeff Wilson (ERFA)
G Daniel Brunskill (ERFA)
T Andrew Lauderdale (ERFA)

The most obvious fit for New Orleans would be wideout Emmanuel Sanders. After not trading for Sanders at the trade deadline in 2019, the Saints could circle back around to him in free agency, especially since they would not have to give up any draft picks to place him on the roster. Sander had an incredible 2019 season, especially from the time he joined San Francisco through the Super Bowl. In 10 games with the 49ers, Sanders caught 36 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns. However, Sanders always seemed to make the big catches when he was needed the most. At 32 years old, and as an unrestricted free agent, he will be looking for the most lucrative deal he can manage, and it remains to be seen in the Saints can fork over that type of money to a receiver.

Arik Armstead is another free agent option, if New Orleans wants to make a big acquisition for their defensive front. Armstead would instantly provide the defensive line with some of the best firepower in the game. But again, Armstead will be one of the most expensive players for his position in free agency, and he might price himself out of the Saints’ budget.

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Are Giants, Arik Armstead the perfect match?

ESPN believes the New York Giants and edge rusher Arik Armstead (San Francisco 49ers) are the perfect free agency match.

With NFL free agency just a little over two weeks away, the New York Giants have a lot of decisions to make, especially when it comes to their pass rush.

There are several players who could potentially bolster that pass rush set to become free agents come March 18 and one interesting name has surfaced — San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead.

ESPN lists Armstead as a perfect free agent for the Giants. That is, if he isn’t assigned the franchise tag by 49ers general manager John Lynch:

New York Giants: Edge Arik Armstead
2019 team: 49ers | Age: 26

The Giants’ only reliable edge rusher last season (Markus Golden) is set to be a free agent, and he didn’t have anything close to the success rushing the passer in 2019 as his double-digit sacks would suggest. Instead of dumping resources into re-signing Golden, New York could move up a level to target a player such as Armstead, who has seen his career progress tremendously over the past three seasons to the point that he was a top-10 player at the position by PFF grade and wins above replacement during the 2019 season. There’s always a risk when going after a player coming off a career year in a contract season, but the upside with getting a 26-year-old who is growing as a pass-rusher and already dominant against the run helps offset that.

No question the Giants should target Armstead in free agency, should he get there. They are, however, still pondering signing Golden and have to deal with the Leonard Williams situation, which makes dedicating all this money to the defensive front impractical.

If the Giants can get Armstead, do they back off signing Williams or Golden?

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Candlestick Chronicles: Ranking 49ers draft needs

Chris and Kyle go over what positions the 49ers should target in the 2020 NFL draft, and go over the latest news from the combine.

The 49ers’ 2020 draft class could be the most important step in extending their championship window beyond just a couple of seasons.

Draft season is officially in full swing with the start of the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and Kyle Madson discuss all the news to come from the first couple days teams were in Indy.

They go over the team’s options on Arik Armstead, the receiving corps, and John Lynch’s commitment to Jimmy Garoppolo. The guys also discuss the team’s top five draft needs going into free agency.

https://candlestick-chronicles-a-49ers-pod.simplecast.com/episodes/49ers-biggest-draft-needs

49ers’ window to franchise tag Arik Armstead opens

The 49ers’ window to use the franchise tag on Arik Armstead is officially open.

The 49ers’ window to make a decision on defensive lineman Arik Armstead is officially open. If they do want to use the franchise tag on the five-year veteran, they’ll have to do so by 1:00 pm PST on March 12. The date to use the tag was pushed back a couple days due to uncertainty about the ongoing CBA negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association.

San Francisco has had all year to start figuring out what they want to do with Armstead, but now their clock is officially ticking down.

If they do use the franchise tag on Armstead, they’ll owe him around $18 million fully guaranteed in 2020, and he’d be an unrestricted free agent again next season.

Armstead wouldn’t have to sign the tag right away though. It simply wouldn’t allow him to negotiate with other teams in free agency, so the 49ers may wind up using it just to keep their negotiating window open for a long-term deal. That would be beneficial to both sides since the cash-strapped 49ers could spread out some of Armstead’s money, while the defensive lineman would have more long-term security.

San Francisco could also tag Armstead with the intention of trading him – a move we saw the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs use on defensive ends last season. That would allow the 49ers to at least gain some sort of compensation back for Armstead after he posted a career-high and team-best 10 sacks last season.

If the 49ers don’t tag Armstead, it could be a signal for their future plans. In that case they’d either be confident in getting a long-term deal done with Armstead, or they’d be comfortable letting him explore the market as an unrestricted free agent. The legal tampering period is March 16, and the new league year when UFAs would be allowed to sign with new teams is March 18.

There are several offseason dominoes to track for the 49ers, but Armstead will likely be the first and biggest one. Thursday marked the first day that piece could fall down, and now San Francisco is officially on the clock for a potentially franchise-altering decision.

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How franchise tag deadline change affects 49ers

The NFL and NFLPA moved the deadline to use franchise and transition tags back a couple days, which may help the 49ers with Arik Armstead.

In their quest to iron out a new CBA before the start of the 2020 league year on March 18, the NFL Players Association and the NFL made a decision to move the dates to use franchise and transition tags back two days. The current CBA expires at the end of the 2020 season.

Teams were previously able to place a tag on a player starting February 25, but because of the rules regarding tags and the CBA, they moved the dates back to try and avoid confusion with the rules surrounding those tags. Teams can generally only use either one of the franchise or transition tag, but they’re allowed to use both if they enter the 2020 season with no CBA in place for 2021 and beyond.

While the two tag rule quirk doesn’t impact the 49ers, the dates moving back gives them a couple additional days to make a decision on defensive lineman Arik Armstead.

He’s due to hit unrestricted free agency when the new league year opens, and hammering out a long-term deal may not be feasible for the 49ers as they try to navigate a tight salary cap situation.

Armstead said he’s open to staying in San Francisco, even if it is on the one-year, fully guaranteed franchise tag. Players typically prefer more long-term security to the one-year tag. General manager John Lynch said in his post-season press conference that everything is on the table with Armstead, who led the team with a career-high 10 sacks last season.

There’s also a scenario where the 49ers decide not to tag Armstead, which would cost around $18 million, and let him test free agency instead. Letting the team’s sack leader go a year after he had his best season as a pro isn’t something the team wants to do, but with extensions coming up for tight end George Kittle and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, they may not have much of a choice.

The two extra days probably won’t change the 49ers’ decision-making process very much, but it does give them 48 additional hours to try and do the necessary gymnastics to get him signed long term. This is the 49ers’ biggest offseason decision, so getting more time to make it can’t hurt.

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Cleveland Browns 2020 free agency: 9 prime targets

The Cleveland Browns currently have over $58.3 million available in cap space, 9th-most in the NFL, after the releases of T.J. Carrie (DB), Adarius Taylor (LB), Eric Kush (OG), and Demetrius Harris (TE).

Having so much in available cap space is both a blessing and a curse. The Browns are blessed because they have the financial flexibility to go after free agents in a way 23 other teams cannot. They are cursed because their fanbase will spend all offseason looking at the large number and expecting the Browns to bring in every high-priced free agent on the market.

Just to have a little fun, here is a look at some of the key free-agent pieces the Browns could bring in.

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1 pending free agent Dolphins should target from each NFC West team

The Dolphins will enter 2020 free agency window with 1 of the biggest cap totals in the league. Who should they target from the NFC West?

The Miami Dolphins are all set to enter 2020 free agency next month and continue the team’s ambitious plan to completely overhaul the roster. Yes, this team’s primary objective appears to be to build through the draft. But the Dolphins will have a mass surplus of cap space at their disposal and the environment in South Florida is one filled with optimism after the Dolphins finished 5-4 over their final nine games.

Looking across the NFL landscape, there’s a ton of potential contributors set to hit the market. Here’s one pending free agent from each team in the NFC West that the Dolphins should consider:

San Francisco 49ers – Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead

Jan 19, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (91) celebrates a sack against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (not pictured) in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

You’ll be hard pressed to find many better fits for the Dolphins in this free agent class. Armstead is everything the Dolphins dream about on the defensive line — he’s long, he’s powerful, he’s got heavy hands and, most importantly, he really came into his own as a pass rusher in 2019.

During his 5th NFL season, Armstead logged 10 sacks and 18 quarterback hits. In the four prior seasons combined? He totaled 9 sacks and 29 quarterback hits over 46. games.

Granted, the additions of Dee Ford and Nick Bosa plus the presence of DeForest Buckner helped free Armstead up as a pass rusher, but the Dolphins are similarly looking to overhaul their pressure packages. Armstead would be a three down defender for Miami for the long-haul.

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7 free agent defensive line fits for the Cardinals

Arizona has a need along the defensive line – the good news is that there are quite a few good free agents that seem to be good fits.

With free agency around the corner, let’s go take a look at a huge position of need for Arizona – the defensive line. And there are quite a few good fits in what appears to be a somewhat deep group of free agents:

Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s obvious what Jones would possibly mean to Arizona, but it goes without saying he would be a great fit as a 3-4 DE and would add instant star power to the Cards defensive line.

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6 DEs who could replace Jabaal Sheard for the Colts

Here’s how the Colts can replace DE Jabaal Sheard.

There is still over a month until free agency officially begins for the Indianapolis Colts and one of their pending free agents is veteran defensive end Jabaal Sheard.

The ultimate leader in the locker room and a steady run defender, Sheard was Chris Ballard’s first outside free-agent signing in 2017. But he’s 30 years old now and his production has been far from game-changing at one of the most important defensive positions. The Colts could re-sign him to a short-term deal or they could look to free agency and the draft to replace him.

If they decide to go with the latter, here are six options the Colts could consider to replace Sheard this offseason:

Yannick Ngakoue | Age: 24 | Free Agency

Turning 25 years old at the end of March, Ngakoue will be one of the most pursued free agents should the Jaguars allow him to hit the market. There is always a chance they franchise tag the former third-round pick but if they don’t, the Colts should be all over this pass rusher.

Priorities for the Jaguars and their roster in the off-season:
1. Re-sign Yannick Ngakoue
2. Everything else pic.twitter.com/K4ZWJpjoNU

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 19, 2019

A steady contributor since being drafted, Ngakoue has 37.5 sacks and 85 quarterback hits over the last four seasons. That’s good for the 12th and eighth-most among pass rushers during that stand. He’s also missed just two games since entering the league.

The price range might keep Chris Ballard out of serious bidding but Ngakoue can be a game-changer for the Colts and should be heavily considered if he winds up hitting the market.

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All options on table for 49ers with DL Arik Armstead

The 49ers want their most productive defensive lineman back in 2020.

49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead is open to exploring all avenues to return to San Francisco next season. General manager John Lynch shares Armstead’s open-mindedness regarding the former first-round pick’s free agency.

Lynch on Thursday told reporters in his end-of-season press conference that the team badly wants to re-sign Armstead.

“Arik is an excellent player,” Lynch said. “He had an excellent year. I think everything is on the table. We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time.”

Armstead on Wednesday said he’d be open to signing a franchise tag to stay with San Francisco – a short-term answer without long-term stability that players tend to want to avoid in favor of a more secure long-term deal.

A sensational 2019 season where he racked up 10.0 sacks likely drove Armstead’s price up on the open market. He was also healthy for 16 games for the second consecutive season after battling injuries for a couple seasons. He also played a career-high 912 snaps, shattering his previous best of 608 set last season.

Armstead benefitted from the additional talent on the defensive line, and being able to kick inside with Dee Ford and Nick Bosa rushing off the edges in passing situations. It stands to reason that putting him back in that group under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek should yield similar results to 2019.

While the pass rush aspect of Armstead’s season will drive up his price some, his value may lie more in his abilities as a run defender. He was their best player on run defense in 2019 according to PFF thanks to his ability to move bodies inside, and set the edge when he’s lined up outside. Armstead was also among their best run defenders in 2018, although the pass rush production was not there.

One small hangup may come when the 49ers turn on the Super Bowl tape. Armstead didn’t have a tremendous impact in that game, registering two tackles, one quarterback hit, three hurries and no sacks. Most concerning was his lack of presence in the run game. Kansas City’s misdirections and fakes frequently had Armstead going the wrong direction.

It’s doubtful, given what Lynch had to say about Armstead in his press conference, that one game at the end of the season will move the defensive lineman’s value much. San Francisco rode its stellar defensive line all season, and Armstead was one of that line’s most impactful players. It makes sense that Lynch and the front office would explore every possible possible to re-sign him, even with their backs up against the salary cap and other deals to maneuver around.