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San Francisco 49ers: An Early Look at the Team’s 2017 Free Agents

By Peter Panacy

Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert looks over the defense against the St. Louis Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert looks over the defense against the St. Louis Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco 49ers currently have a total of 25 players on their roster who are scheduled to become free agents in 2017. Some may be re-signed and will never hit NFL free agency next season. But others may wind up hitting the market. Niner Noise takes an early look at where the team’s 2017 free-agent group sits right now and tries to predict who stays.

August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams (93) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Chargers 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams (93) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Chargers 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Trying to determine which San Francisco 49ers players, who are scheduled to be free agents in 2017, is a fairly difficult task.

For starters, there is so much that can happen between now and the start of the 2017 NFL free agency period. Games are yet to be played, contracts may still be negotiated, extensions could happen and any combination of these and other factors weigh into the equation.

San Francisco is going through an overhaul of its current roster. Some free agents — out of 25 total — are merely on one-year deals, and these guys might simply be stop-gap options. Others are winding down rookie contracts and will be playing for their next big deal.

Note: OT Fahn Cooper, OG Joshua Garnett and CB Will Redmond are listed as 2017 free agents by Over the Cap. Their rookie contracts will extend beyond 2017, so they won’t be included on the list.

An influx of young talent, paired with the understanding many pending free agents simply didn’t work out in San Francisco, means a good number of these players may be elsewhere next season.

So let’s take a very early look at each free agent upon which the Niners will have to decide between now and 2017. And we’ll even try to predict who stays and who goes.

We’ll break it down into the following groups:

  • Exclusive Rights Free Agents
  • Restricted Free Agents
  • Unrestricted Free Agents — depth/role players
  • Unrestricted Free Agents — prominent players

The last group is a bit tricky, as one could argue some backups have been, or will be, featured in prominent roles. We’ll spend a little more time on this particular group.

So gear up, bear down and get ready for a first-take assessment on the 49ers 2017 free-agent list.

Next: Exclusive Rights Free Agents