Source: 49ers to bring back Jerick McKinnon on re-worked deal
Jerick McKinnon hasn’t played for the 49ers the last two seasons since signing a lucrative contract in 2018. But the athletic running back has made enough of an impression since joining San Francisco the organization wants him back in 2020.
McKinnon and the club agreed to terms on a revised contract in order to compete for a roster spot during the coming season, a league sourced confirmed to The Bee on Tuesday. NBC Sports Bay Area was first to report the news.
McKinnon, who turns 28 in May, signed a four-year, $30 million contract on the opening day of free agency in 2018 to become a featured player on Kyle Shanahan’s offense as Carlos Hyde signed with the Cleveland Browns. But McKinnon tore his ACL a week before the season opener after impressing in training camp by lining up all over the field and posing mismatch problems for linebackers and defensive backs thanks to his 4.41 speed.
McKinnon sustained another setback last summer and went on injured reserve before the season began causing him to miss his second straight campaign. According to NBC Sports Bay Area, McKinnon said the initial ACL graft inserted into his knee did not take and he required a second surgery to add bone marrow to the graft from his hip. He also had a bone spur shaved down.
General manager John Lynch said at the scouting combine last month McKinnon was fully cleared by the training staff to resume football activities towards the end of last season and McKinnon would be ready to participate in the offseason program. However, the coronavirus outbreak has led to the NFL postponing those conditioning programs until further notice.
The 49ers had the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offense without McKinnon last year, thanks largely to contributions from Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. Mostert and Coleman are under contract for 2020 while Breida remains a restricted free agent heading into the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
McKinnon is the most accomplished pass catcher of those three and could add a valuable dynamic to the passing game if healthy. He caught 142 passes for 984 yards as a backup for the Vikings from 2014 to 2017. McKinnon was a third-round pick out of Georgia Southern. He had an outstanding performance at the combine, ranking in the 95th percentile or above in vertical jump (40.5 inches), broad jump (132 inches), 10-yard split (1.46 seconds) and bench press (32 reps).
For now, although terms have not been disclosed, it appears the 49ers are buying low on the chance that McKinnon can return to the form that placed him among the league’s highest paid running backs when he signed in 2018. ESPN reporter Adam Caplan reported the deal now runs through the end of this season instead of through 2021, with per-game roster bonuses.
That’s what they did last offseason with oft-injured safety Jimmie Ward, who ended four of his five seasons on injured reserve before turning in the best year of his career in 2019. Ward earned a three-year contract on Monday.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 12:48 PM.