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San Francisco 49ers: 5 Steps to Fix the Franchise in 2017

By Peter Panacy

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York 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 chief executive officer Jed York 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 /
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Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Aggressive-but-Smart Moves in Free Agency

The 49ers are going to have plenty of cap space in 2017. According to Over the Cap, San Francisco will have approximately $45.13 million in space. And that number does not include the carryover of unused space from this season.

The Niners’ methodology in recent years hasn’t been to spend lucratively on high-profile free agents, which is fine. But the 2017 offseason is in a slightly different context.

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A casual look at the list of free agents would convince some the 49ers should simply splurge to upgrade as much as possible. True, San Francisco is likely going to have to overpay a number of top-tier free agents this offseason. The Niners can afford this, but we all know those four- and five-year mega deals almost always wind up haunting teams going this route.

So the 49ers should do this — pick three or four free agents the team is willing to spend big money on. No more. And prioritize them, as would be the case in an NFL Draft big board (i.e. Target No. 1, target No. 2 and so on).

Names like wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, cornerback Trumaine Johnson and maybe even quarterback Kirk Cousins might be on the radar. It will be up to the general manager — keeping in line with the vision, of course.

But the rest of the crop should be mid-level players hitting their prime now.

San Francisco doesn’t need to find Pro Bowl-caliber talent at each position. Instead, find guys who can be solid upgrades and contributors right away. And if draftees in 2017 and beyond wind up taking over starting roles, at least the Niners have quality backups — a situation the team doesn’t enjoy currently.