Ranking the 49ers’ most important moves in free agency so far
The 49ers fancy themselves as Super Bowls contender in 2021. It’s a unique place to be for a team coming off a 6-10 season and sub-.500 records in three of the last years.
Yet the franchise is beaming with optimism this week after the start of free agency. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch landed left tackle Trent Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk on the largest contracts in history at their positions while San Francisco seems to have maintained the roster for a run contention like it had in 2019.
Yet those signings, and others we’ll discuss below, don’t answer the team’s two most pressing questions. What’s going to happen at quarterback? And can the team keep its key players healthy in 2021 after losing so many for varying stretches of 2020?
Time will tell when it comes to the fate of Jimmy Garoppolo (or perhaps Deshaun Watson, which might not be as pie in the sky as initially thought) and if the team can avoid devastating injuries like Nick Bosa’s Week 2 ACL tear last September. But for now, let’s rank the most important moves the team has made in free agency since the start of the week.
5. Signing Samson Ebukam to bolster pass rush
The deal: Two years, $12 million ($5 million guaranteed)
How he fits: The 49ers cannot expect Dee Ford to return to his 2018 form, when he was one of the best edge rushers in football with the Chiefs. Ford missed 15 games last season with a back injury and it’s unclear if the team expects him to contribute in 2021 (Shanahan and Lynch haven’t spoken publicly since Jan. 4, when they indicated Ford’s future is very much uncertain). Ford’s contract may be getting restructured to two years and $24 million to create cap space, which indicates Ford wasn’t healthy enough to pass a physical, and thus could not be released.
Ebukam, though he doesn’t have the track record, has similar athletic traits off the edge. He ran a blistering 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 39 inches in the vertical at his 2017 pro day. Those are receiver-type testing numbers, not typical of linebacker-edge rusher that weighs 240 pounds. The 49ers lacked explosiveness off the edge last season when Ford and Bosa were on the shelf — and Ebukam’s athleticism should help against mobile quarterbacks who abused San Francisco’s defensive ends in space last season.
Ebukam may have been misused by the Rams which played him as a traditional 3-4 outside linebacker. With San Francisco, Ebukam is likely going to focus on pinning his ears back to scream off the edge. He’s had 4.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons while he played in 51% and 36% of the snaps, respectively. But the 25-year-old (he turns 26 in May) is durable, having never missed a game in his four-year career, which isn’t lost on the front office after what the team went through last year.
What it means: The biggest question facing Ebukam is if can he adapt to a new role as a traditional 4-3 defensive end after working as a stand-up linebacker. It would seem the 49ers have a particular role in mind after prioritizing Ebukam by agreeing to terms during the first day of the negotiating period on Monday.
Worst-case scenario, San Francisco landed a rotational edge rusher that gives them what he gave the Rams: a durable player who gives the defense speed and athleticism while also helping on special teams.
The best case? Ebukam takes a big jump in his new role surrounded by a more complete supporting cast. Playing opposite Bosa, with Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw on the inside, Ebukam should have plenty of one-on-one opportunities where he could showcase his athleticism. And if defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, regarded as one of the best in the NFL, can help Ebukam develop and refine his pass rushing moves, the 49ers might have found an excellent value by landing Ebukam at $6 million per season.
There are similarities between Ebukam and Buccaneers star Shaq Barrett, who was an under-the-radar signing when he left the Broncos’ backup role to be featured in Tampa. He signed a one-year, $5 million contract in 2019 and led the league with 19.5 sacks before becoming a dominant force on their Super Bowl-winning team last season. Is it likely? No, but Ebukam’s athletic profile and new supporting cast could lead to a sizable jump in production.
4. Make Kyle Juszczyk the highest paid fullback, again
The deal: 5 years, $27 million ($10 million guaranteed)
How he fits: Just like he has the past four seasons.
Juszczyk lines up all over the field, is an elite blocker, capable pass catcher and works as an extension of the coaching staff in a complicated offense. The 49ers have been one of the best rushing teams in the NFL, particularly in 2019, when they ranked second only behind the Ravens (who had a 1,200-yard rusher at quarterback). The 49ers’ explosive runs often include a good block from the Harvard alum.
Bringing Juszczyk back means more of the same from the last four seasons. The 49ers clearly didn’t regret giving Juszczyk the largest contract for a fullback in history in 2017 by doubling down on that decision last Sunday night.
What it means: Losing Juszczyk might have caused Shanahan to pivot away from using a fullback. Juszczyk, after all, is a unicorn at the position, according to tight end George Kittle, with no way to replace him with another fullback. That means the 49ers might have relied on more three receiver sets, or multiple tight end looks, to make up for Juszczyk’s absence.
But they won’t need to change all that much with the five-time Pro Bowler back in the field.
3. Bringing in Alex Mack to solidify center
The deal: 3 year, $14.85 million ($5.6 million guaranteed)
How he fits: Mack played under Shanahan in Cleveland in Atlanta, when the Falcons went to the Super Bowl behind the top-ranked offense in the NFL paired with quarterback Matt Ryan. Mack wasn’t on the team when the offense was middling in 2015, and his addition appeared to pay dividends. He was named to his fourth of six Pro Bowls that season and last year was named a member of the NFL’s all-decade team for the 2010s.
The 49ers have a clear need at center with Weston Richburg unlikely to suit up for San Francisco again following a recent hip surgery. It was his third procedure since he last played in Dec. 2019 when he tore the patellar tendon in his knee and there’s a chance he never plays again. San Francisco started three different centers in 2020 — Hroniss Grasu, Ben Garland and Daniel Brunskill — and none played like long-term options on a contending team.
Mack, 35, is beyond his prime. But he’s still an above-average starter that gives the 49ers a sizable upgrade at an important position. His familiarity with Shanahan should give the offense a big boost. If San Francisco is going to contend in 2021, it’s going to need the offensive line to playing like one of the league’s best, and that’s far more likely with a center of Mack’s caliber.
What it means: Adding Mack is a short-term fix that likely won’t preclude San Francisco from looking at center in the draft. And what better player to for a rookie to learn from before taking over the starting role down the line?
Mack knows Shanahan’s offense as well as anyone and has missed just two games over the past six seasons. The Cal alum gets to come back to the Bay Area and compete for a chance to do what the Falcons couldn’t in 2016: win a Super Bowl.
2. Jason Verrett
The deal: 1 year, $5.5 million ($4.5 million guaranteed)
How he fits: The 49ers took a chance on Verrett in 2019 and it didn’t exactly work out. He appeared in one game and was shut down for the season with an ankle injury after allowing a long pass interference and getting burned for a touchdown against the Steelers.
But during that time, the organization laid out a plan for Verrett to get his body right without any assurances Verrett would stick around. He decided to come back to San Francisco in 2020 and credited the team’s plan for that decision. And it worked. Verrett played at a Pro Bowl level last season and helped provided stability to a secondary that was without Richard Sherman for most of the year
Verrett, of course, was a former first-round pick of the Chargers who appeared in just six games from 2016 to 2019. But, when healthy, Verrett is one of the most talented corners in the NFL.
What it means: Each of San Francisco’s top cornerbacks were free agents this offseason. Verrett clearly has the most upside of that group, but he might also have the most risk given his lengthy injury history, including a torn ACL and torn Achilles. But all the time for recovery and rehab appeared to serve Verrett well leading into last season.
Getting a high-quality corner for for $5.5 million is a bargain if Verrett stays healthy and replicates what he gave the team in 2020. Corner remains one of the most coveted positions in the league and players as good as Verrett don’t come around at that price.
Of course, Verrett’s price is low because of the injury history. There would be substantial risk if the team didn’t insulate itself from another prolonged absence, which makes it more than likely the 49ers continue adding corners in free agency and the draft.
Best-cast scenario? Verrett plays at a high level again and provides a solid example for young players to follow. Worst case: Verrett gets hurt, at which point the risk is offset by his relatively low salary. The important thing is having other options should that scenario arise, and the 49ers haven’t made those additions yet.
1. Trent Williams
The deal: 6 years, $138.01 million ($40.05 million guaranteed)
How he fits: This is easy. Williams is arguably the best left tackle in the NFL and could be on his way to the Hall of Fame. Left tackles of his caliber, in his prime, never hit the open market. That explains the size of his contract which makes him the highest paid offensive lineman of all time.
The initial contract numbers are a tad misleading. The deal in essence is a pair of three-year contracts giving the 49ers a chance to move on, or renegotiate, after 2023, when Williams would be 35. The final three seasons are option years. The first three seasons would pay Williams $60.75 million on cap numbers of $8.22 million, $14.1 million and $26.27 million, respectively. The three options years: $26.9 million, $29.37 million and $33.06 million.
Those high cap numbers account for the salary cap being lower this season. The deal was back-loaded with the expectation the salary cap will boom back to normalcy starting in 2022 or 2023, when the new TV deals increase the league’s revenue. The 49ers are more likely to negotiate Williams’ numbers down on the back end of that contract or not pay them altogether.
The team will have the option to pay as it goes after the next three seasons while Williams secured more than $40 million by landing the contract.
What it means: Williams’ deal with a big inflection point for the Shanahan and Lynch era.
Had the 49ers not been able to lock up their left tackle, they would have pigeonholed themselves into drafting a tackle in the first round or spending for a veteran, though most of the desirable alternatives were snatched up earlier in the week before Williams signed.
Keeping Williams — who was also coveted by the Chiefs, a smart team that appeared in the last two Super Bowls — gives the 49ers freedom to invest their draft resources elsewhere, like on another pass rusher, cornerback or quarterback.
Plus, signing Williams gives the team credibility throughout the league. They have been a team unafraid to dole out big contracts recently. Not all of them have worked out, of course. Ford, Arik Armstead, Kwon Alexander and Richburg come to mind. But players will look at the 49ers from afar and appreciate the fact ownership is willing to open the check book to win. And Shanahan seems like a coach players want to play for.
Honorable mentions: Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and defensive tackle D.J. Jones. Both players signed for minimal deals. Moseley will be back for $10 million over the next two years while Jones signed a one-year prove it contract with a chance to return to free agency next season.
Like Verrett, Moseley helps solidify the cornerback spot while Jones can man play nose tackle, allowing last year’s first-round pick Javon Kinlaw to focus on “three technique” and not the grunt work of playing nose tackle.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 6:55 AM.
