The 49ers’ list of pending free agents contains several players who were vital to the team’s Super Bowl run. None of them, however, wound up on Touchdown Wire’s list of the top 25 free agents. This could wind up being a good thing for the 49ers if the TD Wire list mirrors the NFL’s perception.
San Francisco has 15 players set to hit unrestricted free agency on March 18 when the 2020 league year officially opens. There were three who could’ve realistically landed on a top-25 list: DL Arik Armstead, FS Jimmie Ward and WR Emmanuel Sanders.
Armstead led the NFL’s best defensive line in sacks last season while posting the most productive season of his five-year career. He stands to gain the most from hitting free agency since he’s versatile and plays a premium position. However, since he hasn’t been productive as a pass rusher for more than one season, and only recently got healthy, his free agency could take a hit.
If the 49ers let Armstead test the market, they could wind up getting him for a cheaper long-term deal than if they simply settled near the top of the market.
Ward’s free agency will be intriguing considering 2019 was his first healthy season since 2015, his second year in the league. When he finally got on the field in Week 3, he quickly became an essential piece of the NFL’s top pass defense. There aren’t a lot of flaws in his game outside of health.
With safety play becoming so vital for defenses in a pass-heavy NFL, Ward should be a valuable commodity on the market. It wasn’t enough to land him in the top 25 though, and his injury history might diminish his market enough to make him more affordable for the 49ers.
Sanders is the one who understandably didn’t land on the top-25, but his value to a team exceeds what generally goes into those lists. He helped the 49ers’ receiving corps immensely both on and off the field, and acquiring him in a mid-season trade with the Broncos was key to getting San Francisco’s offense to a Super Bowl level.
There haven’t been any talks between the 49ers and the soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran. He’ll get to test the market and could easily receive a multi-year deal that’s north of what San Francisco can afford. With so many receiving corps needing help, Sanders shouldn’t have a problem finding a strong deal on the open market. An influx of talent through the draft could wind up pushing Sanders down the priority list where a return to the Bay Area becomes more feasible.
This TD Wire list only one opinion though. Perhaps all three players are highly coveted by teams and will get massive contracts that push them out of the 49ers’ price range. If San Francisco doesn’t get long-term deals done before free agency starts though, their best hope is that their three key free agents continue to fly under the radar.
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