So yesterday I took a look at the NFL draft since John Lynch & Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, but today we’re going to look at the free agent signings, and trades they’ve made since they took over.
Now in 2017, the 49ers were coming off one of the worst stretches in the 49ers recent history, with the failure of the Jim Harbaugh & Trent Baalke regime, to Jed York, all the way to botched head coach hirings like Jim Tomsula, & Chip Kelly, so when the 49ers hired Lynch & Shanahan, it brought a sense of optimism, despite the fact that many fans immediately called the hiring of Lynch as GM was a horrible move before he even got started.
But I think we can all say that John Lynch was the right hire over guys like Brian Gutekunst, & Louis Riddick.
So let’s begin with the signings & trades that the 49ers have made since 2017, beginning with 2017.
The 49ers signed a record amount of players in 2017, more than they did during the entire tenure of Trent Baalke as GM.
The notable signings include the following.
2017:
QB Brian Hoyer, who was signed to a 2-year deal, worth around $12 million, he was seen a bridge to who the 49ers would eventually add, of course Kyle Shanahan had his eyes on Kirk Cousins, but fate works in mysterious ways, as the 49ers, who acquired a 2018 2nd-round pick during the 2017 draft when they traded a 3rd-rounder to the Saints, which did become Alvin Kamara, yikes, that one kind of hurts, but they were able to use their own 2018 2nd-rounder to trade for an up & coming Jimmy Garoppolo, and well we all know how this will end.
FB Kyle Juszyzck, who was signed to a 4-year deal, worth $21 million deal, this was seen by many as a head scratcher, as he’s a fullback, so why pay him like any other position? Well this signing has proven to be one of, if not, the best signings by the 49ers in 2017, he does more than any other fullback does, he can run, block, catch, lineup at H-Back, in the Slot, at TE, and is truly the Offensive Weapon that both John Lynch & Kyle Shanahan coined him at the introductory press conference.
WR Pierre Garçon, who was signed to a 5-year deal, worth $47.5 million, he was a player who was very familiar with Kyle Shanahan’s offense, so it made sense that Kyle would bring in a veteran he had worked with in the past, unfortunately, due to injuries, his stint with the 49ers only lasted 2 years.
WR Marquise Goodwin, who was signed to a 2-year deal, worth $6 million, was seen as a deep threat, who didn’t get the chances while he was with the Buffalo Bills, and this is a good & bad signing, he had a very good year in 2017, where he started all 16 games, while hauling in 56 catches for 962 yards, and 2 touchdowns, but after that, he never lived up either the 2017 deal, or the 2018 extension he signed.
NT Earl Mitchell, who was signed to a 4-year deal, worth $16 million, and he was actually 1 of 2 free agents that the 49ers, under Lynch/Shanahan signed, as he was let go by the Dolphins before the new league year began, which gave him a head start on signing elsewhere, and he did have a good tenure, he was solid as you could ask for a guy who played maybe 25% of the teams defensive snaps, and D.J. Jones really made him expendable, and the last time he played, was in the teams Super Bowl lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, as the 49ers were hurting along the defensive line.
MLB Malcolm Smith, who was signed to a 5-year deal, worth $26.5 million, now at the time, he wasn’t the best or worst signing, he was a decent player, just not worth the money he was given, and well it turned into a bad signing, as he tore his pec in 2017, missing all of 2017, and ended up only being with the 49ers into the 2018 season, when it was clear that the rookie at the time Fred Warner was the better player.
CB K’Waun Williams, who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth $765,000, and he was probably the 2nd best signing by the team in 2017, right after Juszyzck, while also being the 2nd player who was signed before the league year began, he played so well, that he earned a 3-year extension, which ended after the 2020 season, but he’s shown to be a top tier slot cornerback, and luckily he’s back for 2021 on a 1-year deal, where he’ll make $2,377,500, while only $1,127,500 against the 2021 cap.
2017 also saw the team trade for former Detroit Lions 1st-round pick Laken Tomlinson, who has become one of the best run blocking left guards in the NFL, despite his poor pass protection.
2018:
RB Jerick McKinnon, who was signed to a 4-year deal, worth $30 million, which was a lot for a player who hadn’t played much the previous 4 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, but the 49ers saw potential in him, but unfortunately, he tore his ACL in 2018, had a setback in 2019, missing both seasons, while being able to play in 2020 after restructuring his deal, but we can all agree, this was a terrible signing.
C Weston Richburg, who was signed to a 5-year deal, worth $47.5 million, and at the time, this was a great signing, and I still think it was a very very good signing, he helped the teams offensive line, the unfortunate part was his injury in 2019 during the game at the New Orleans Saints, where he had a gruesome injury, which was his last snap played, as he missed all of 2020, and recently retired, after redoing his deal in March to help save the 49ers $6.875 million.
OG Jonathan Cooper, who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth $4.95 million, but sadly he never played a meaningful down as a 49er, as he was released at the cut down date.
EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu, who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth up to $5.125 million, but he never played a down as a 49er, other than preseason, as he was kind of a surprise cut at the cut down date.
CB Richard Sherman, who signed a 3-year deal, worth $27.15 million in base value, but $39.15 million max, since he had $4 million in incentives each year, $2 million for being named an All-Pro, $1 million for playing 90% of the teams defensive snaps, and $1 million for making the Pro Bowl, and while this was viewed as a great signing, which I agree with, he did have his ups and downs, he was injured for most of 2020, while he played very well in his first 2 seasons, and in 2019, he was named an All-Pro, and named to the Pro Bowl. Now he remains unsigned as of the writing of this article, so there’s a chance he may return of the 49ers want him back.
I should also note that 2018 was the year the 49ers decided to re-sign QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a 5-year deal, worth $137.5 million, and while it looked like the 49ers might have traded him, they stuck to their word, and have kept Jimmy, even after drafting Trey Lance, who is expected to be the teams QB in 2022, or sometime in 2021.
This was also the year the 49ers extended Marquise Goodwin to a 3-year deal, worth $20.3 million, but as I said before he didn’t live up to the contract, while the 49ers also traded for left tackle Shon Coleman, who unfortunately hasn’t played a meaningful snap of football since 2017, as he tore his ACL in week 1 of the 2018 preseason, he re-signed with the 49ers in 2019, but opted out of the season due to COVID-19.
2019:
RB Tevin Coleman, who was signed a 2-year deal, worth a maximum of $10 million, and while he played very well in year 1, he just never lived up to the deal, I really think this was one of those signings that was made due to Coleman’s familiarity of Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
EDGE Dee Ford, who the 49ers traded a 2020 2nd-round pick, and then signed him to a 5-year deal, worth $85 million, with the chance to earn $500,000 each year if he made the Pro Bowl. Now this was a good sign & trade that the 49ers made in my opinion, in 2019 he played in 11 games, and had 6.5 sacks, while also playing over 100 snaps in the playoffs. But he has dealt with his fair share of injuries, he missed all but 1 game in 2020 due to a back injury, but there is optimism within the 49ers organization that Ford can come back in 2021.
I should also note that Ford had a $11.6 million injury guarantee if he was on the roster on April 1, 2021, which he is, thanks to a redone deal, that saw the 49ers save over $11 million in 2021, and over $9 million in 2022, while eliminating his 2023 year.
Also this signing should have never had to be made had Aldon Smith not been a complete idiot off the field prior to John & Kyle took over.
WLB Kwon Alexander, who was signed to a 4-year deal, worth $54 million, and while he played well in the short time he was here, he also had injury issues, he tore his pec in 2019 half way through the season, but was able to come back for the playoffs, where he played in all their games, including the Super Bowl.
But this signing never should have had to happen, because of Reuben Foster being a complete idiot off the field, as Foster was viewed as a huge time steal, and should have been the future of the 49ers linebacking core, and the kind of funny thing is, the 49ers 2019 5th-rounder, Dre Greenlaw, made Kwon Alexander expendable, as they traded him mid-way through the 2020 season to the New Orleans Saints for a 2021 5th-rounder.
The fact is the 49ers were never going to simply cut ties with Ford, as they would have lost cap room, and the team currently would have around just $5 million in cap room when the season starts, and that’s before a Fred Warner extension.
CB Jason Verrett, who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth $3.6 million, but he didn’t live up to that $3.6 million number, as he had a rough 2019 season, as he only played in 1 game, but he came back in 2020, signing a 1-year deal, worth just over $2 million, where he had a very good season, which led to him signing a 1-year deal, worth a minimum of $5.5 million, and a maximum of $6.5 million if he’s able to make the Pro Bowl this season, he did turn down multi-year offers, but hopefully he stays healthy, and is brought back in 2021.
The 49ers also re-signed RB Raheem Mostert to a 3-year deal, worth $8.7 million, but not even 1 full year into the 3-year deal he asked for a new deal on par with Tevin Coleman’s, which saw the 49ers up his 2021 base salary to $2.95 million, and they gave him a $250,000 signing bonus.
The 49ers also franchised, & then extended PK Robbie Gould to a 4-year deal, worth $19 million, with the 49ers eventually getting Gould to sign renegotiated 2-year deal, that still runs through 2022, fully guaranteed.
2020:
The 49ers didn’t do much in terms of adding players in 2020, as they did re-sign DE Arik Armstead to a 5-year deal, worth $85 million, and FS Jimmie Ward to a 3-year deal, worth $28.5 million, this also saw the team lose veteran WR Emmanuel Sanders, who was a key part of the teams success, and ability to get to the Super Bowl, and this year saw the 49ers trade DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for the 13th-overall pick, and this also saw the 49ers extend TE George Kittle to a 5-year deal, worth $75 million, making him the highest paid tight end.
Also, as I mentioned above, this was when the 49ers re-signed PK Robbie Gould to a renegotiated 2-year deal, that is fully guaranteed, still running through the 2022 season.
As for signings, they made a few.
RG Tom Compton, who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth $3 million, which was a surprise, as Compton hasn’t done much in his career, but I think it was a snap move due to them not landing Connor McGovern, who opted to sign with the New York Jets, which is where Compton came from.
The interesting thing is, Compton wasn’t even going to make the roster, so he had a take a pay cut just to make the roster, all the way from $3 million to just $1.375 million.
DE Kerry Hyder Jr., who was signed to a 1-year deal, worth $1.5 million, and he was a standout for the 49ers, as he ended up leading the team in sacks with 8.5, but he ended up leaving the 49ers this offseason to the Seahawks.
The 49ers also ended up trading RB Matt Breida, who they tendered at the 2nd-round level, on day 3 of the 2020 draft to the Miami Dolphins for a 5th-round pick, which ended up being LG Colton McKivitz.
And the 49ers traded WR Marquise Goodwin on day 3 of the 2020 draft, where they were able to move up 20 spots from the 7th-round to the 6th-round to select TE Charlie Woerner.
2021:
The 49ers went back into the free agent market this year, but not until they brought back FB Kyle Juszyzck on a 5-year deal, worth $27 million, LT Trent Williams to his record breaking 6-year deal, worth $138.06 million, NT D.J. Jones to a 1-year deal, worth $3.5 million, CBs K’Waun Williams to a 1-year deal, worth $1,127,500, & Jason Verrett to a 1-year deal, worth $5.5 million, up to $6.5 million if he makes the Pro Bowl, and SS Jaquiski Tartt to a 1-year deal, worth $987,500.
The 49ers did sign 2 bigger free agents, with those below.
C Alex Mack, who was signed to a 3-year deal, worth $14.85 million, and Mack is expected to solidify the 49ers offensive line, as Mack is one of the best pass protecting centers in the NFL.
EDGE Samson Ebukam, who was signed to a 2-year deal, worth $12 million, a guy who didn’t play his best ball with the Los Angeles Rams, that is after they switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, as Ebukam plays better when not inn coverage, and rushing the passer off the edge.
This offseason also saw the 49ers bring back several pending RFAs & ERFAs, like RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to a 1-year deal, worth $2.05 million, unfortunately, he tore his meniscus, which will see him out until late October to early November.
They also brought back CB Emmanuel Moseley on a 2-year deal, worth $9.384 million, while also bringing back TE Ross Dwelley on a 1-year deal, worth $1.6 million, and SS Marcell Harris to a 1-year deal, worth $1.25 million.
The 49ers also ended up adding a couple of defensive lineman who were cut by the Las Vegas Raiders, DE Arden Key to a 1-year deal, worth $1.245 million, and DT Maurice Hurst Jr. to a 1-year deal, worth $1.045 million, they also added TE MyCole Pruitt on a 1-year deal, worth $987,500, with $500,000 of his base salary fully guaranteed, and NT Zach Kerr on a 1-year deal, worth $987,500, with $200,000 of his base salary fully guaranteed, and I expect all 4 of these players to make the 2021 roster.
The 49ers also brought in some other free agents to compete for roster spot, the likes of QB Nate Sudfeld, WR Mohamed Sanu Sr., WLB James Burgess Jr., MLB Nathan Gerry, FS Tony Jefferson, & SS Tavon Wilson, all of whom have a legit shot at making the 2021 roster.
So, I fully believe the 49ers have done a great job with their signings & trades since 2017, while the DeForest Buckner trade was odd at the time, the fact that they were able to add the likes of Kyle Juszyzck, Alex Mack, Samson Ebukam, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Richard Sherman via free agency, plus the likes of Trent Williams, Laken Tomlinson, & yes even Dee Ford via trades, I’d say the 49ers have done a very good job since 2017.
As for the future, I fully expect the 49ers to extend All-Pro MLB Fred Warner later this offseason to a deal worth around $19 million to $20 million a year, with well over $40 million in guaranteed money.
As for beyond 2021, the 49ers are setup just fine with the salary cap, as once they unload Jimmy Garoppolo’s deal, & the cap expected to rise by 2023 or 2024, they’ll have the ability to extend key players like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw, plus their key 2021 picks like Trey Lance, Trey Sermon & Aaron Banks.
Also, the 49ers should be able to retain most of their key 2022 free agents, the likes of RBs Raheem Mostert & Jeff Wilson Jr., LG Laken Tomlinson, NT D.J. Jones, CBs Jason Verrett, & K’Waun Williams, FS Tarvarius Moore, & SS Jaquiski Tartt to either long term deals, or reasonable 1-year or 2-year deals.
So with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.
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