It’s obvious that the 49ers will, and have to lock up their star MLB Fred Warner to a new long term extension, but the question is, how much will Warner end up getting, but also who of the 3 linebackers chosen in 2018 will sign first, Chicago Bears 1st-rounder Roquan Smith, who had his 5th-year option picked up, Indianapolis Colts 2nd-rounder Darius Leonard, and of course 49ers 3rd-rounder Fred Warner, all among the best true inside linebackers.
But for sake of this article, let’s focus on Warner, and what he may get from the 49ers, which should happen sometime before training camp begins.
Right now, Seahawks Bobby Wagner has the highest APY(average per year) at $18 million a year, with $40.25 million is total guarantees.
The Jets C.J. Mosley leads in total & fully guaranteed money, coming in at $51 million, and $43 million respectively.
So, where should Warner be slotted, well it’s clear he’s better than Mosley, and he’s much much younger than Wagner, and he’ll certainly look to top both players.
I expect Warner to receive a new 5-year extension, that will run through 2026, worth at least $18 million a year, maybe as high as $20 million a year, while also getting well over $40 million in total guaranteed money, with at least $30 million in fully guaranteed money.
My idea all along has been for the 49ers to give Warner a $15 million signing bonus this offseason, which would prorate at $3 million a year from 2021-2025, and then a $5 million option bonus, that would be protected, meaning it’s fully guaranteed, while that would also prorate at $1 million a year from 2022-2026.
The 49ers will almost certainly fully guarantee his 2021 base salary, which is scheduled to be $3.384 million, while also fully guaranteeing his 2022 base salary, while having some of his 2023 base salary fully guaranteed, with the rest being injury guaranteed, which would vest to fully guaranteed on April 1, 2022, which is similar to both George Kittle & Trent Williams’s new deals.
I can see the 49ers also putting in a partial guarantee in 2024, while also adding in yearly per game roster bonuses, likely in the $500,000 to $750,000 range, and yearly workout bonuses, most likely $100,000 a year.
I also expect the 49ers to structure the contract like they did with Kittle, Williams, & Juszyzck’s new deals, low year 1 cap numbers, something along the range of $5.5 million in 2022.
As for 2022, if the 49ers did a deal similar to this, it would give the 49ers around $16.5 million in cap room when the 49ers move on from Jimmy Garoppolo.
But, 49ers fans don’t worry, they will extend Warner, he’s one of the best, if not the best pure linebackers in all of the NFL.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a post, & O’ll reply when I get the chance.
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