5 Biggest Free-Agency Questions for San Francisco 49ers This Offseason
After a season to forget, the San Francisco 49ers enter the 2021 offseason with some big decisions to make as they try to prepare for another Super Bowl run.
The 49ers finished in last place in the NFC West with a 6-10 record just a year after reaching the Super Bowl. Injuries were a big reason for the team's struggles this year, with players such as Nick Bosa, Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and Richard Sherman all missing significant time.
General manager John Lynch will have the opportunity to reload this offseason through the draft, but there are also a handful of decisions he will need to make about his current roster.
Let's take a look at a few of the biggest questions Lynch and the 49ers will need to answer this offseason.
Will 49ers Move on from Jimmy Garoppolo?
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The 49ers paid big money to make Jimmy Garoppolo their franchise quarterback. However, after another season of struggling to stay healthy, San Francisco will need to at least consider moving on from the 29-year-old.
Financially, parting ways with Garoppolo would clear up a lot of cap space for the 49ers. If they were to cut him this offseason, they would save over $23 million in cap space in 2021 while losing just $2.8 million in dead cap.
The problem with cutting Garoppolo is that the 49ers would be counting on finding an upgrade at the position. Although he's not in the conversation as one of the league's best quarterbacks, he has still gone 22-8 as a starter while posting a 98.1 passer rating with the 49ers.
Finding a potential replacement in the draft wouldn't be easy. With the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the 49ers would likely need to trade up to land a top quarterback prospect like Zach Wilson or Trey Lance.
Lynch has indicated that Garoppolo will be the starter going forward, but with how much money they're paying their starting quarterback, the 49ers should at least explore other options in free agency this offseason, including the likes of Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky and Jameis Winston.
Is Jason Verrett Worth the Risk to Bring Back?
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The 49ers have a significant number of defensive backs entering free agency this offseason, but deciding whether to bring back Jason Verrett might be the hardest decision to make among them all.
The 29-year-old was a former Pro Bowl cornerback with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, but injuries derailed his career after the 2015 season. He played in just six total games from 2016 through 2019, the last of which was with the 49ers, but they gave him another shot in 2020 with a one-year deal worth just over $1 million.
The move ended up being a great value signing for the 49ers. Verrett played in 13 games this season, picking up 60 total tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions. According to Pro Football Reference, opposing quarterbacks posted a passer rating of just 76.8 when throwing his way.
After such a strong season, San Francisco will have to consider bringing Verrett back. However, given his injury history, there is a risk it rewards him with a multiyear deal only for him to land back on injured reserve in 2021.
Verrett was vocal about his desire to return this week, but the 49ers will need to bring him back at a reasonable price to minimize their potential risk.
A short-term contract under $5 million per year would be ideal, but it will be up to Verrett to see if he wants to stay in San Francisco or find a better deal elsewhere.
How Long of a Deal Will the 49ers Offer Trent Williams?
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As one of the most established left tackles of the last decade, Trent Williams will be a top priority of the 49ers to retain this offseason. The question isn't whether the team will want to bring him back, but rather how many years they'll offer him.
The 49ers traded a pair of draft picks to the Washington Football Team to acquire Williams this past offseason. The move was a solid one, with the 32-year-old playing in 14 games and being named to the eighth Pro Bowl of his career.
Williams will be an unrestricted free agent this year, and he won't be cheap. He turns 33 in July and is coming off the final year of a five-year, $68 million contract.
San Francisco has a projected $16 million in cap space for 2021, but Williams isn't the only impending free agent that the team needs to try to bring back. Working out a long-term deal may be further complicated by the fact that the offensive tackle hasn't played all 16 games in a season since 2013, and his play could start to deteriorate as he nears the end of his illustrious career.
Other teams would likely try to sign Williams if he makes it to free agency, so the 49ers may be leveraged into offering a longer deal than they're comfortable with. However, it's hard to pass up retaining a perennial Pro Bowl offensive tackle.
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Will 49ers Let Richard Sherman Walk?
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Richard Sherman used to be one of the most dominant defensive backs in the NFL, but as age and injuries catch up to him, the 49ers may have seen the last of the All-Pro corner.
He played in just five games this season and spent the majority of the year on injured reserve with a calf strain. It was a disappointing season after helping lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl as a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2019.
At 32 years old, Sherman will now enter free agency uncertain of who his next team will be. The 49ers may want to bring back one of their defensive captains, but given their cap situation and the number of other players entering free agency, there are other priorities for John Lynch and the front office to take care of.
Even Sherman acknowledged a few weeks ago that he doesn't expect to return to San Francisco in 2021, so unless the two sides agree on a cap friendly deal, the former Legion of Boom star will likely be playing elsewhere next season.
Will Fred Warner Become the NFL's Highest-Paid Linebacker?
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Despite all of the injuries and struggles the 49ers had in 2020, linebacker Fred Warner remained one of the team's brightest spots.
After falling to the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, the 24-year-old has become a star for the 49ers defense. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection this year after finishing with 125 combined tackles, six pass deflections, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a sack.
Although Warner still has one year left on his rookie deal, the two sides will have time this offseason to negotiate a long-term extension to ensure the star linebacker stays with the team for the foreseeable future.
Lynch stated on Monday that he plans to keep Warner for the long haul, which could indicate that he hopes to lock up the linebacker sooner rather than later.
David Lombardi from The Athletic suggested on Twitter that the 49ers find a way to backload Warner's impending contract extension to ensure he becomes the NFL's highest-paid linebacker.
Even Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers considers Warner to potentially be the best middle linebacker in the league, so it may only be a matter of time before the 49ers star makes history with his contract extension.
All contract information provided by Spotrac.
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