49ers Should Target Newly Released Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall
By Peter Panacy
The New York Jets are releasing wide receiver Brandon Marshall, per report. And the wideout-needy San Francisco 49ers should be a prime suitor for his services in 2017.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning the New York Jets were releasing wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
And the San Francisco 49ers should absolutely bite.
The Niners’ on-roster wide receiver corps consists of Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Carter, DeAndre Smelter, Aaron Burbridge, Chris Harper and Rashad Ross. Guys like Quinton Patton, Jeremy Kerley and Rod Streater are all hitting free agency.
San Francisco 49ers
Even with that cast, San Francisco needs help. Marshall makes sense.
Marshall earned $9.5 million last year with the Jets and was due $7.5 million this year before being cut.
He’ll certainly get that amount, if not more, on the open market this offseason. But the Niners have close to $80 million in cap space. And that number will increase notably when quarterback Colin Kaepernick opts out of his contract, which he’s expected to do.
Money won’t be a factor for San Francisco. But the production expected could be.
Breaking Down the Statistics
Marshall will turn 33 years old this month, which might be a bit of a hangup as far as the 49ers’ long-term plans are concerned.
But the 11-year veteran has done nothing but produce. And one could argue his lowly numbers with the Jets from 2016 were due more to inconsistent and problematic quarterback play than anything else:
| Games | Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% |
| 2006 | 22 | DEN | wr | 15 | 15 | 1 | 37 | 20 | 309 | 15.5 | 2 | 71 | 1.3 | 20.6 | 54.1% |
| 2007 | 23 | DEN | WR | 15 | 16 | 16 | 170 | 102 | 1325 | 13.0 | 7 | 68 | 6.4 | 82.8 | 60.0% |
| 2008* | 24 | DEN | WR | 15 | 15 | 15 | 181 | 104 | 1265 | 12.2 | 6 | 47 | 6.9 | 84.3 | 57.5% |
| 2009* | 25 | DEN | WR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 154 | 101 | 1120 | 11.1 | 10 | 75 | 6.7 | 74.7 | 65.6% |
| 2010 | 26 | MIA | WR | 19 | 14 | 14 | 146 | 86 | 1014 | 11.8 | 3 | 46 | 6.1 | 72.4 | 58.9% |
| 2011* | 27 | MIA | WR | 19 | 16 | 16 | 141 | 81 | 1214 | 15.0 | 6 | 65 | 5.1 | 75.9 | 57.4% |
| 2012*+ | 28 | CHI | WR | 15 | 16 | 16 | 192 | 118 | 1508 | 12.8 | 11 | 56 | 7.4 | 94.3 | 61.5% |
| 2013* | 29 | CHI | WR | 15 | 16 | 16 | 164 | 100 | 1295 | 13.0 | 12 | 44 | 6.3 | 80.9 | 61.0% |
| 2014 | 30 | CHI | WR | 15 | 13 | 13 | 106 | 61 | 721 | 11.8 | 8 | 47 | 4.7 | 55.5 | 57.5% |
| 2015* | 31 | NYJ | WR | 15 | 16 | 16 | 173 | 109 | 1502 | 13.8 | 14 | 69 | 6.8 | 93.9 | 63.0% |
| 2016 | 32 | NYJ | WR | 15 | 15 | 15 | 128 | 59 | 788 | 13.4 | 3 | 41 | 3.9 | 52.5 | 46.1% |
| Career | 167 | 151 | 1583 | 941 | 12061 | 12.8 | 82 | 75 | 5.6 | 72.2 | |||||
| 4 yrs | DEN | 61 | 45 | 542 | 327 | 4019 | 12.3 | 25 | 75 | 5.4 | 65.9 | ||||
| 3 yrs | CHI | 45 | 45 | 462 | 279 | 3524 | 12.6 | 31 | 56 | 6.2 | 78.3 | ||||
| 2 yrs | MIA | 30 | 30 | 287 | 167 | 2228 | 13.3 | 9 | 65 | 5.6 | 74.3 | ||||
| 2 yrs | NYJ | 31 | 31 | 301 | 168 | 2290 | 13.6 | 17 | 69 | 5.4 | 73.9 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/3/2017.
Marshall is one of those few wide receivers capable of producing into his mid 30s. The Niners used to have another one in Anquan Boldin, who led San Francisco in receptions each year from 2013 through 2015.
Why Marshall over Alshon Jeffery?
Marshall won’t be the only 49ers free-agent target at the position this offseason.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo suggested San Francisco was the early favorite to land Chicago Bears pending free-agent wideout Alshon Jeffery.
Jeffery, 27 years old, is certainly a more likable commodity when thinking about age. The only problem is his consistency. In comparison to Marshall, who has missed the 1,000-yards-receiving plateau just three times in his career, Jeffery has only surpassed that twice.
And one can factor in his four-game PED suspension a year ago and significant injury questions as well.
Jeffery would be a good pickup for San Francisco, for sure. But he’s also going to command a much higher contract on the open market, especially considering his younger age. Would he be worth the investment along with the risks?
Sure. But Marshall has already shown he can be a No. 1 receiver over a long period of time. Jeffery has yet to do that.
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Chances the 49ers Land Marshall
It’s limited, honestly.
Remember, Marshall is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Sure, he’s contributing like a 27 year old. But the fact he’ll be 33 this season means he’ll probably want to play for a contender.
San Francisco is, at best, a few years away from sniffing that goal.
But money talks, and the Niners have plenty of it. And Marshall is likely going to be cashing in on his final “big deal.”
Next: 10 Free Agents the 49ers Should Consider after Franchise Tags
So if it happens, San Francisco is that much better off. The team should at least try.