San Francisco 49ers: 5 Biggest Mistakes the Team Made This Offseason
![January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/151165195c3c251bb4513ec5bf853e2392edf875990106b1338b5b16e5a64a60.jpg)
Keeping Ahmad Brooks
Brooks is the highest earning on-the-field non-achiever in football.
Last season he had a cap hit of $7,055,000, per Spotrac. Throw in his 6.5 season sacks, and he nearly made a million bucks a sack!
What a bargain!
With the retirements of Willis and Smith, Brooks had a golden opportunity to become a team leader and further elevate his game.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he responded by ranking 88th out of 110 qualified edge defenders with a grade of plus-53.4 (from a zero to 100 scale). This figure included a pass-rush grade of plus-47.6 (from the same scale).
For a guy who is expected to rush the passer, this ranking is awful. He is going into the 2016 season as the fourth-highest paid player on the roster. The pay grade does not match the production.
If the Niners weren’t a trillion dollars under the salary cap, he would have been a cap casualty. But for mere production reasons, he should have not made it through this offseason. This was another mistake.
Next: Jarryd Hayne should not have been allowed to walk