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Why the 49ers Were Wise to Avoid These 5 Free Agents

By Akash Anavarathan

Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and chief executive officer Jed York during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and chief executive officer Jed York during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 24, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 24, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5: Wide Receiver Terrelle Pryor

Another surprise on this list, but again through this free agency process, I realized that WR Terrelle Pryor’s market wasn’t as large as anticipated.

After one big season with Cleveland, not many teams were willing to sign Pryor to a long-term deal. In 16 games, he caught 77 passes for 1,007 yards, with four touchdowns.

The biggest thing in his favor is that the Browns didn’t have a real quarterback all season and Pryor still managed to put up those numbers.

More from SF 49ers Free Agency

Even Cleveland didn’t want to sign him to a long-term deal, choosing the 28-year old WR Kenny Britt instead for a four-year deal.

Pryor didn’t have many suitors, with the Redskins and Browns really being the only ones pursuing him early in free agency.

It was also reported that he was looking for deal that had a much higher annual average and that potentially cost him some options.

He landed with Washington on a one-year, $8 million deal, who were desperate after losing receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson.

Next: Breaking Down the 49ers’ Salary Cap After the First Wave of Free Agency

The 49ers probably did the right thing and avoided giving Pryor a long-term contract. With only one year of receiver experience at 28 years old, it was smart to not risk a lot of cap space on Pryor.