Tag: Niners

49ers aiming for FB Kyle Juszczyk to take pay cut

Could Kyle Juszczyk be the next 49ers player to leave instead of taking a pay cut?

The 49ers’ attempts to generate salary cap space by way of pay cuts for some of their more expensive players will already cost them defensive lineman Arik Armstead. They’re hoping the same won’t be the case for fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who has also been approached about a pay cut per NFL insider Adam Caplan.

Juszczyk, 32, has two years left on the five-year deal he signed ahead of the 2021 season. He’s due to make $5.75 million in each of the next two seasons with salary cap hits of $7,588,750 in both of those years. He’s by far the highest-paid fullback in the league thanks in part to his importance to San Francisco’s offense.

It’s unclear whether the team plans to release him without a pay cut like they did with Armstead. It’s also unclear how amenable Juszczyk is to a pay cut at this point.

With enough teams running a version of the Kyle Shanahan offense it would make sense if there was a market for him in free agency, but given that no team has come close to giving a fullback the contracts Juszczyk has gotten from the 49ers it stands to reason that there wouldn’t be a sizable free agent deal for the soon-to-be 33-year-old.

Replacing Juszczyk wouldn’t be easy for San Francisco. He’s been a vital cog in their offense since arriving as a free agent in 2017. Juszczyk has been a Pro Bowler in each of his seven seasons with the 49ers and earned an All-Pro nod this year when his position was put back into the All-Pro balloting.

In seven years Juszczyk has missed only seven games for the 49ers. He’s accounted for 1,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in that stretch.

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4 players 49ers could trade up for in NFL draft

The #49ers could make a jump up in the first round of the draft to snag one of these offensive linemen:

The 49ers are in a potentially advantageous spot in this year’s draft despite not picking until No. 31 overall. Given their need on the offensive line, the depth in this year’s class, and the team’s sizable capital in this year’s draft, there’s a very real possibility San Francisco identifies a player they love earlier than No. 31 and make a jump up the board to snag them.

This has been something the 49ers haven’t been afraid to do in the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era. The trade ups don’t always work, but it’s clear when they identify a player they like they’re willing to expend draft picks to move up and snag them.

Here’s a look at a handful of offensive linemen typically going before the 49ers pick in mock drafts that they could wind up moving up to go get:

How Talanoa Hufanga injury impacts 49ers offseason

Don’t expect the #49ers to make a big splash at safety as they navigate Talanoa Hufanga’s injury:

The 49ers are in a little bit of a tough spot when it comes to navigating the safety market this offseason. It appears they have two young starters to fill out the free safety and strong safety spots with Ji’Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga, but Hufanga’s torn ACL in Week 11 of last season puts a sizable twist into how San Francisco can attack the position this offseason.

Even before Hufanga’s injury last season it looked on the horizon like the 49ers were going to need some depth at the position in 2024. Brown at that point was waiting in the wings behind Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson, and veteran special teams ace George Odum is at his best when just contributing on special teams. San Francisco, assuming Gipson’s exit, was going to need some viable depth.

The issue now is what type of depth they’ll need, and what the 49ers want to do over the next couple of years at that spot.

In the short-term they have to figure out if they need to find a player capable of starting if Hufanga isn’t ready to return by the season opener. It’s hard to be super optimistic about that since he was hurt so late in the year, but it’s not impossible that he’d be on the field by early September. They’ll need depth in either event, but the quality of player they add will have to be determined by Hufanga’s prognosis.

Do they go get a veteran like Broncos safety Justin Simmons or Bills safety Jordan Poyer, both of whom were released for salary cap reasons? Or do they add a free agent from the margins who can work in as a short-term starter if Hufanga does miss time?

The draft is also an option, but that’s where the long-term piece of this puzzle falls in. Hufanga is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, and his play through three seasons could earn him a deal beyond the 49ers’ budget next offseason. That would mean a relatively early pick in this year’s draft would be prudent since they’d be able to pair that player long-term with Brown.

If there’s optimism that Hufanga will re-sign, then perhaps the team would either skip a draft pick this year or use a later-round pick on a player who may or may not ultimately contribute.

There are no firm answers either way, but it would appear that a low-cost free agent on a one-year deal would make the most sense. That gives San Francisco the quality of depth they need to withstand Hufanga’s injury recovery, while also not tying them up for too many years. If they lose that free agent and Hufanga next offseason they’d be able to cross that bridge then either via free agency or the draft.

For now the lack of answers makes it hard to believe a big splash is coming for the 49ers at safety in 2024.

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PFF: 2 safeties 49ers could pursue in free agency

PFF has a couple of free agent safeties that make a lot of sense for the #49ers:

The 49ers salary cap situation may keep them from being major players at the top of this year’s free agent market. Of course, there are ways they could create the cap space necessary to go big game hunting, but a more prudent move may be fishing around the bargain bin for quality fits that either help their starting lineup or their overall depth chart.

A good example of that bargain shopping comes via Pro Football Focus, which lists a pair of inexpensive safeties as potential free agent additions for the 49ers.

The first one is Chargers safety Alohi Gilman. He was a sixth-round pick in 2020 who started only nine games on defense while working primarily as a special teams contributor his first three seasons.

Last year though he played 928 defensive snaps and started all 14 games he played for the Chargers at free safety, but he showed off some versatility by lining up all over the field for then-head coach Brandon Staley, who is now the assistant head coach for the 49ers. Gilman in his expanded defensive role turned in the best season of his career with a pair of interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an overall 86.1 defensive grade from PFF.

His lack of overall experience is a bit of a red flag, but it will also be something that tamps down his market some to make him affordable enough for the 49ers. Gilman would fit the role of either starting or contributing on special teams and giving San Francisco some quality depth behind Ji’Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga.

The other player PFF lists is Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills.

Mills has had an up-and-down career with four seasons in Philadelphia and three seasons in New England. He’s never been consistently productive, but he’s lined up all over the field from outside corner, to slot corner, to strong safety to free safety. The 49ers don’t have a super versatile defensive back like that who can plug several holes depending on their need, but relying on him as a starting safety is probably not how San Francisco would want to operate.

Bringing him in as a reserve, Swiss Army knife defensive back and potential special teams contributor would make a ton of sense though, and at 30-years old he’s unlikely to break the bank in free agency.

Safety isn’t way up the list of 49ers’ offseason needs, but it’s definitely there and a low-cost addition like Mills or Gilman would be smart team-building by San Francisco.

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49ers get versatile problem-solver in mock draft by the Athletic

The #49ers have 2 problems on the OL, and this mock draft by the Athletic solves both with one pick.

It appears the 49ers are all but certain to select an offensive lineman with their first-round pick in this year’s draft. Which offensive lineman that is depends on the mock draft, but the pick for San Francisco in Dane Brugler’s post-combine projection might make the most sense of any name so far.

Brugler has seven offensive tackles going before the 49ers are on the clock, leaving them to pick Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.

While there may be more athletic tackles with a higher overall upside in the class, Brugler points out how Morgan can help solve a short-term and long-term problem for San Francisco thanks to his inside-outside versatility.

Via the Athletic:

The eighth offensive tackle taken in this mock, Morgan is an ideal scheme fit for San Francisco. But he also makes timeline sense, because he offers versatility on the line despite having only played left tackle in college. Morgan can help fill in at guard or right tackle right away and potentially be the long-term plan on the left side whenever Trent Williams decides to hang ‘em up.

This would be the ideal first-round choice for the 49ers. They need help at both right tackle and right guard. Adding Morgan would allow them the flexibility to play him at either spot, giving them a wider array of options when assembling their roster. The 49ers can also decide where he plays based on what free agency yields. If they land a sure-fire starting guard in the open market, Morgan could slot in at right tackle for 2024. If they want to roll with Colton McKivitz again, or if they find a free agent option they like at RT, Morgan can just slot in at guard.

Then there’s the long-term solution for how they can fill the void when Williams retires. It may be that they have to dedicate major resources to finding his replacement. Adding Morgan though would mean potentially replacing Williams via a late first-round pick and taking that tall task of their plate at some point in the next few years.

If the 49ers can answer both of their big offensive line questions with one pick, it’s hard to argue against that selection regardless of what kind of player falls to them at No. 31.

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49ers hit 2 biggest needs in 2-round projections from Draft Wire

The 49ers added a super-athletic DE and an experienced RT in this Draft Wire two-round mock draft:

The 49ers have a handful of things to fix on their roster heading into 2024, but offensive tackle and defensive end are the two positions that really stand out as needs going into free agency and the draft. Perhaps they find enough free agency help that they can cross one off their draft priorities, but that doesn’t seem likely given the price of quality DE and OT play. Luckily they can check both boxes in the draft if things shake out the way they do in a two-round mock by our friends at the Draft Wire following the combine.

In the two-round projections the 49ers begin at DE and select Penn State’s Chop Robinson No. 31 overall. It doesn’t seem likely Robinson drops all the way to the end of Round 1, particularly after he blew up the combine with size and athletic testing that haven’t been seen since former 49ers TE Vernon Davis.

His production in college wasn’t great – 11.5 sacks in 30 games – but his highs on tape have all the earmarks of a productive NFL pass rusher. Robinson’s burst off the line is outstanding and his bend to get around the corner and find a straight line to the quarterback is elite. There’s some development to be done as a pass rusher which may lead to him dropping in the draft, but he’s a good enough prospect that the 49ers would likely skip on OT to snag the pass rush help.

The good news for the 49ers is they didn’t have to wait long to find OT help. At their next pick, No. 63 overall, they go with Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher.

Fisher isn’t as good as his fellow Notre Dame alum Joe Alt, but he’s plenty athletic at 6-6, 310 pounds to find success in the NFL. He also started 27 games, including 25 in his last two seasons, all at right tackle for the Fighting Irish. That experience should help his transition to the pros, but his success isn’t a slam dunk. He’s improved as a pass blocker, but his consistency as a run blocker will need to come around if he’s going to be a long-term starter in the NFL.

Still, he should at worst provide competition at RT and some quality, developmental depth. It wouldn’t be the worst thing if Fisher wound up following the same path as Aaron Banks, another 49ers second-round pick from Notre Dame. Banks sat his rookie year before becoming a very effective starter in Year 2. That kind of track would be fine for San Francisco given their long-term need at that spot.

If the 49ers can bolster their pass rush and their RT depth in the first two rounds it would be hard to come away with qualms about how San Francisco attacked the draft.

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DE mocked to 49ers by Mel Kiper has size, athleticism matched only by Vernon Davis

The DE Mel Kiper mocked to the 49ers put up insane combine numbers that are reminiscent of a former 49ers athletic freak:

The 49ers need a lot of help on their offensive line, but ESPN’s draft analyst Mel Kiper had them going a different direction in his second mock draft. In that second projection he had San Francisco scooping up Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson with the No. 31 overall pick. After Robinson’s combine performance though, he may not make it that far in the first round.

Robinson measured in at 6-3, 254 pounds. That size doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but his athletic testing at that size did. Robinson ripped off a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, and then jumped 10-feet-8-inches in the broad jump.

According to NFL Media’s Rich Eisen, Robinson’s athletic testing at his size has only been matched by one other player in the last 20 years: former 49ers TE and No. 6 overall pick Vernon Davis.

Robinson was already a really fun prospect. His explosiveness shows up on tape and he has the bend to quickly turn corners on offensive tackles on either side. There’s plenty of reason to believe he’s a Round 1 edge prospect. Now we can tack on the Vernon Davis-like athleticism at defensive end at it may be impossible for the 49ers to pass on Robinson if he winds up tumbling to them with the 31st pick.

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Who stays, who goes? Predicting fate of each 49ers free agent

Predicting whether each 49ers free agent stays in San Francisco or walks in free agency:

The 49ers will enter free agency this offseason in a place that won’t involve a ton of high-impact decisions on which of their players to retain and which ones to let walk. Of course, they’ll have to work things out like Brandon Aiyuk’s extension, but in terms of difference-makers hitting the free agent market there aren’t many from San Francisco this year.

Let’s take a look at each of the 49ers’ 20 free agents and predict whether they stay with the club or find a new team this offseason:

Here’s where 49ers rank in 2024 salary cap space

The 49ers aren’t in too bad a spot salary cap-wise.

The NFL’s $255.4 million salary cap for 2024 was certainly helpful for a 49ers club that needed as much wiggle room as possible this offseason. That $255.4 million number came in almost $14 million above the projection from Over the Cap and put San Francisco in a more advantageous spot to have an effective offseason.

Still, the 49ers are one of a few teams with a little work to do to get under the cap per OTC.

Here’s the cap space for each team and where San Francisco ranks going into the 2024 league year:

6 former 49ers team should target in free agency

There are some former 49ers available in free agency who make sense to return to the red and gold:

Free agency got a little more interesting for the 49ers on Thursday when the NFL announced a whopping $255.4 million salary cap for the 2024 season.

While San Francisco has some maneuvering to do to create additional cap space, they’re now conceivably in a position to be more active in the free agent market.

A big move could be on the horizon, but it’s more likely the 49ers will live on the edges of free agency and scooping up some players who add depth instead of trying to locate a high-priced player to plug a bigger roster hole.

There are a handful of available players on the market who are not only unlikely to break the bank, but are familiar faces that could help the 49ers in various ways.

Here are six former 49ers the team should look to re-sign in free agency: