The 49ers may spend big next week on a valuable free agent as a result of their ongoing flirtation with winning the Super Bowl.
The 49ers still have enough cash to purchase a round when the NFL’s saloon doors open for free agency on Monday. Maybe one final go around.
Quarterback Brock Purdy’s big-ticket agreement will be included in the salary for the next season. The 49ers’ roster is still very much inside a championship window despite already having a large number of highly compensated players on it.
There is or will be enough salary cap space to splash the cash on one or two free agents. Or maybe their aggressiveness results in another major deal, such to the one that was made in March 2019 to acquire pass rusher Dee Ford.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are unable to remain inactive. They don’t dress that way. And after coming so close to winning the Super Bowl—literally, a fourth-and-1 stop—it would be unfair to exclude that last bit.
Expect another request for the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy, three decades after their fifth championship, to be granted by CEO Jed York in exchange for his approval of free agency spending.
This goes beyond planning to pay a wide receiver of the caliber of Brandon Aiyuk a deal worth, say, $25 million or more annually.
Where may they go after the big shot this year? It’s likely to be a lineman, either on defense or offensively, in the inside or on the edge.
Don’t discount the necessity for a return specialist, tight end, wide receiver, cornerback, and linebacker. The most expensive might be linemen.
Eight players are available this season if the 49ers decide to pursue a franchise-tagged player once more. These players include cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (Chiefs), edge rushers Josh Allen (Jaguars), and Brian Burns (Panthers).
Chris Jones (Chiefs), Danielle Hunter (Vikings), Jonathan Greenard (Texans), Bryce Huff (Jets), Leonard Floyd (Bills), Yannick Ngakoue (Bears), Andrew Van Ginkel (Dolphins), Jadeveon Clowney (Ravens), and Romeo Okwara (Lions) are among the other defensive lineman who are expected to become free agents.
All of these are insignificant compared to the possibility of Nick Bosa teaming up with his elder brother Joey, whose contract with the Los Angeles Chargers may be in jeopardy monetarily and who would also need the 49ers to give up further stock.
With the exception of center Weston Richburg in 2018, current 49ers administration has avoided making multi-year free agent acquisitions when it comes to offensive linemen; left tackle Trent Williams was acquired via trade as the 2020 draft came to a close.
The 49ers have never shied away from a “big move” when the league year begins in March. A brief summary from the Lynch/Shanahan administration:
2017: Pierre Garçon, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and kicker Robbie Gould led a wave of free agent additions that signaled the start of the huge squad revamp. Their backup quarterback until Jimmy Garoppolo was acquired in October was Brian Hoyer.
2018: The 49ers used free agency to sign cornerback Richard Sherman, running back Jerick McKinnon, and quarterback Jake Richburg after making Garoppolo the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
The 49ers have never shied away from a “big move” when the league year begins in March. A brief summary from the Lynch/Shanahan administration:
2017: Pierre Garçon, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and kicker Robbie Gould led a wave of free agent additions that signaled the start of the huge squad revamp. Their backup quarterback until Jimmy Garoppolo was acquired in October was Brian Hoyer.
2018: The 49ers used free agency to sign cornerback Richard Sherman, running back Jerick McKinnon, and quarterback Jake Richburg after making Garoppolo the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
2019: Ford, the franchise-tagged pass rusher for the Chiefs, was acquired in return for a second-round selection and a $85 million contract extension. Linebacker Kwon Alexander and running back Tevin Coleman joined in free agency as complementary pieces for an NFC Championship drive.
2020: The 49ers’ decision to trade defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to the Colts in exchange for a first-round choice failed, but they were still able to pay defensive mainstays Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward, and they used that first pick on Javon Kinlaw.
Only defensive end Kerry Hyder, guard Tom Compton, and wide receiver Travis Benjamin were granted free agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, George Kittle still required payment in the form of an August extension (five years, $75 million).