Tag: Mike McGlinchey

Broncos expected to sign RT Mike McGlinchey to 5-year contract

The Broncos are expected to sign right tackle Mike McGlinchey when the NFL’s free agency period officially opens on Wednesday.

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton continues making additions to the team’s offensive line to help protect quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Broncos are expected to sign free agent right tackle Mike McGlinchey, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini. The deal can’t become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday, but Denver is expected to get it done.

The five-year contract will be worth $87.5 million with more than $50 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He will earn an average of $17.5 million per season in Denver.

McGlinchey (6-8, 310 pounds) entered the league as a first-round pick out of Notre Dame with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. He missed four games in 2012 and nine games in 2021 with injuries but was healthy for all 17 games last season.

McGlinchey is the second big-name offensive lineman the Broncos agreed to terms with on Monday, joining former Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Powers. Denver agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with Powers.

After adding Powers and McGlinchey, the Broncos’ offensive line is nearly set: Garett Bolles (LT), Powers (LG), center TBD, Quinn Meinerz (RG) and McGlinchey (RT).

We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Report: Bears are close to deal with RT Mike McGlinchey

It sounds like RT Mike McGlinchey could soon be a Chicago Bear.

Update: The Broncos are expected to sign Mike McGlinchey, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

The Chicago Bears have already made their first splash in free agency by agreeing to terms with linebacker T.J. Edwards. Now, it sounds like they’re close to inking another big name for the offensive line.

According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Bears are targeting right tackle Mike McGlinchey. “The two sides are talking and hoping to get a deal done,” per Russini.

uStadium adds that the Bears are working on finalizing a deal with McGlinchey.

The Bears have a glaring hole at right tackle, where Riley Reiff and Larry Borom split time last season. McGlinchey would be a huge upgrade for Chicago’s offensive line, where protecting quarterback Justin Fields is of utmost importance.

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12 right tackles Broncos should target during NFL free agency

The Broncos need a new right tackle. Here are 12 candidates the team should consider during NFL free agency.

The Denver Broncos are expected to make big changes to their offensive line this offseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team make a few splashes during NFL free agency to shore up the protection for quarterback Russell Wilson.

It’s possible that left tackle Garett Bolles and guard Quinn Meinerz might be the team’s only returning starters on the line in 2023. Guard Dalton Risner is scheduled to become a free agent on March 15, center Graham Glasgow was released on Friday, and the team still doesn’t have an answer at right tackle.

The Broncos have been going through short-term solutions at the right tackle position for years. Denver would probably love to lock down the right tackle position with a multi-year contract for a top free agent who could start across from Bolles.

Here’s a quick look at 12 free-agent right tackles the Broncos should consider signing this spring, listed by age.

Buzz building around Mike McGlinchey being a top target for Bears in free agency

There’s been a ton of buzz about OT Mike McGlinchey being a top target for the Bears in free agency.

We’re less than a week away from the start of free agency, where the Chicago Bears are set to be quite active as general manager Ryan Poles retools the NFL’s worst roster.

Technically, the legal tampering period starts Monday, where most of the big-name deals will be agreed upon ahead of the new league year on Wednesday. And it sounds like there’s one name that Bears fans should keep an eye on.

According to 670 the Score’s Dan Bernstein, there’s been a ton of buzz about offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey being a top target for Chicago in free agency.

“All I’ve been told is keep your eye on former Notre Dame tackle and current 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey,” Bernstein said on Bernstein and Holmes on Thursday. “That’s the name. I can’t tell you definitively what’s going on or where talks have been or who’s talking to whom. But sometimes you start hearing enough buzz around a guy — he’s very buzzy right now.”

As Bernstein and co-host Laurence Holmes both mention, it’s not a surprise considering the Bears’ needs along the offensive line and McGlinchey being a perfect scheme fit in Chicago. It also helps that the Bears have the resources — roughly $100 million in salary cap space — to bring one of the top offensive tackles in free agency to Chicago.

The Bears are reportedly expected to be active in pursuing offensive linemen during free agency, and there are no shortage of options, including McGlinchey, Orlando Brown Jr., Kaleb McGary and Jawaan Taylor.

There are needs across the offensive line for Chicago, where no starting job is guaranteed. But it starts at the tackle position, especially after quarterback Justin Fields was sacked a league-high 55 times in 15 games.

Braxton Jones, who was solid as a rookie at left tackle, is someone the Bears are quite high on. But, if there’s an upgrade to be had, you have to assume Poles is going to take it.

McGlinchey played exclusively at right tackle for the 49ers, but he’s someone you could see Chicago flipping to the right side, if need be, and putting Jones in his place.

The offensive line is sure to be an evolving unit throughout the offseason, including when the NFL draft arrives next month.

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NFL analyst believes this player would be perfect for Patriots

The Patriots could improve significantly along the offensive front with this free agent.

One NFL analyst believes the New England Patriots are a good fit for an offensive tackle as free agency is set to begin soon. Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz believes Mike McGlinchey would be the ideal free agent fit for New England.

McGlinchey spent his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. He was a premium draft pick, selected ninth overall in 2018. He has started in 69 games the past five seasons and has proven to be a key piece of the 49ers’ offensive line. He has played in over 90 snaps in each season of his career, including 94 percent of the offensive snaps in 2022.

Schatz believes McGlinchey could be the answer to New England’s problems at the tackle position. Schatz wrote:

The Patriots need to do a better job of protecting Mac Jones, but they also want strong run blockers because their offense is so run-heavy. Signing McGlinchey to replace the departing Isaiah Wynn should improve the Patriots in both areas. Although McGlinchey’s PBWR is in the bottom half of the league for tackles, he’s still a better pass protector than Wynn. And McGlinchey’s RBWR of 81.2% ranked fifth among all offensive tackles last season.

McGlinchey may have a high price tag, but he would be an upgrade over the likes of Wynn.

He would fill an immediate need for the organization and give the offensive line stability. Stability is something the team did not have last year on the line, between injuries and poor play.

It will be intriguing to see what New England does at the position, with several potential departures and decisions to make at other positions.

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All of Harry Hiestand’s NFL draft picks at Notre Dame

A legend at his craft.

I’d be curious to know when talking to maybe a slightly above average fan from each Power Five college football program, how many could name their school’s offensive line coach.  I know there are passionate fans everywhere that can name the last preferred walk-on from a class that passed through a decade ago, but I’m talking the more average fans.

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I’m not saying it’s better or worse but Notre Dame is clearly different.  But I suppose that’s what happens when you produce offensive linemen like the Irish have.  And you produce that number of star NFL linemen because of coaching – and having Joe Moore and Harry Hiestand for as long as the program did formed quite the haul of offensive line talent.

Hiestand announced his retirement Sunday in a press release that came out literal moments before the ball was kicked off for Super Bowl LVII.  That means he retires with nine former players at Notre Dame being drafted, a number that will certainly rise with Jarrett Patterson, Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, if not more in the next couple of years.

Here are all nine offensive lineman to play for Hiestand at Notre Dame who had their names called at the NFL draft.  He averaged more than one a season for the time he spent under the Golden Dome.

Will 49ers use franchise tag this offseason?

Will the #49ers use the franchise tag this offseason?

The 49ers don’t typically have to resort to the franchise tag. They’ve done a nice job of extending players before they reach the point of needing to utilize the one-year tag. This offseason it’s hard to envision the 49ers going to that well.

Because the tag is a one-year, fully-guaranteed deal worth an average of the top five salaries at the player’s position, they tend to only go to players a team wants to ensure stays in the building to work toward a long-term deal. The 49ers likely don’t have any players they’re itching to put the tag on.

Kicker Robbie Gould stayed in San Francisco last time he was an unrestricted free agent thanks to the tag. The 49ers could opt for that route again if they don’t want to go find a new kicker this offseason or they can’t work out a multi-year deal with the 40-year-old. Gould would cost San Francisco $5,393,000 this year on the tag.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey is another player who conceivably could get tagged. The idea of keeping McGlinchey for one more year to evaluate his long-term value is certainly interesting. The problem arises with the tag amount. Offensive lineman get $18,244,000 on the one-year deal. That’s probably more than McGlinchey will get per year on the open market, and if the 49ers really value him enough to tag him, they’d be more apt to try a long-term deal that decreases that number.

The same issue arises for defensive back Jimmie Ward. The 49ers would probably like to keep him around, but his tag number would be a whopping $14,460,000.

Prices on both McGlinchey and Ward all but eliminate the possibility of the 49ers issuing that franchise tag.

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10 free agent fits that make sense for Patriots

10 free agent fits for the Patriots heading into the offseason.

The New England Patriots enter 2023 with some glaring holes on the roster after missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. As of today, per Miguel Benzan (PatsCap), the Patriots have $34,067,070 in cap space.

The team could create more cap space by structuring contracts to fit, if needed. Before any signings get announced, let’s look at the players who could fit the mold in New England.

The Patriots may not spend as heavy as 2021, and certainly wont sign all of the top free agents. But what free agents fit well enough with the team to prompt a move in 2023?

Here are 10 players that could be future Patriots.

Only 2 49ers land in ESPN’s top 50 free agents of 2023

The 49ers only have 2 players in an ESPN ranking of the top 50 free agents this offseason.

The 49ers have a handful of free agents they’ll likely aim to re-sign this offseason as they aim to fill out the margins of another Super Bowl-caliber roster, but their list of 21 unrestricted free agents doesn’t feature a ton of high-profile names. That could mean San Francisco has an easier time retaining some of their key players who are due to hit the market.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen published a list of the top 50 NFL free agents for this offseason, and only two 49ers landed on the list.

The name that shows up first is right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who landed at No. 6 on the list. He’s the second tackle behind Chiefs OT Orlando Brown.

McGlinchey often drew the ire of 49ers fans after some up-and-down play through the last couple of seasons while he dealt with injury. For Bowen, a handful of tough reps for McGlinchey in pass protection didn’t outweigh his mostly good overall play:

McGlinchey, a strong edge blocker who wins with angles and his ability to get off the ball, is the second offensive tackle in the top 10 here. The right tackle can handle power rushers, and he has the lower-body flexibility to match speed off the edge. McGlinchey’s pass block win rate this season (89.6%) ranked just 32nd among all tackles, but his run block win rate (81.2%) was fifth overall.

Given their lack of high-end draft capital, the 49ers should be in the mix to re-sign their former first-round pick. There’s a good chance he has a robust market though, putting him out of San Francisco’s pricee range.

The other 49er in the top 50 is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s ranked 24th overall, and fourth among quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson (No. 1), Geno Smith (No. 5) and Daniel Jones (No. 9). Garoppolo might’ve ranked higher if not for his long list of injury issues with San Francisco:

Garoppolo completed 67.2% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 11 games before a foot injury ended his season. He’s still a good passer who can be a mid-tier starter on the market. He is a timing-and-rhythm thrower who fits best in an offensive system tailored around the play-action route tree. The injury history factors into his ranking here, but make no mistake: He will have suitors on the market.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled out Garoppolo returning to the Bay Area. Even if the door was open there though it’s hard to believe San Francisco would’ve been able to afford the veteran signal caller. He figures to get multiple years and more money than the 49ers are likely wanting to pay for the third QB on their roster.

One interesting name that was omitted from the list was do-everything defensive back Jimmie Ward.

While Ward had a tumultuous start to the year after being moved to nickel corner, he wound up being an asset on the 49ers’ No. 1-ranked defense at that spot. He landed in the NFL Top 100 as a free safety for his play last season, and casually made an in-season switch to nickel corner. That kind of versatility is a weapon for defensive coordinators. Ward is absolutely one of the top free agents in this year’s class, and he should be rewarded handsomely in the open market.

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Picking free agents 49ers should try to re-sign in 2023

Which of the #49ers’ 21 unrestricted free agents should they aim to re-sign? Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) runs through the entire list:

It’s going to be a busy offseason for the 49ers, who on top of replenishing their coaching staff and thinking about the draft, have the futures of 21 unrestricted free agents to think about.

The roster turnover in the NFL is what makes a season-ending loss, which the 49ers suffered in last week’s NFC championship game, hit so hard.

No team is ever the same year over year, but the Niners will want to keep as much of their 2022 vintage as they can.

But San Francisco is projected to be just under $16.4 million below the projected 2023 salary cap, and will not have the financial means to keep everyone.

So which players should they be looking to keep around? We’ve gone through the list of 21 UFAs and identified whether San Francisco should aim to re-sign them to a new contract.