NFL Free Agency: Laying out a plan for the 49ers

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FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 13: Dion Lewis #33 of the New England Patriots carries the ball in the second quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Armed with plenty of money to spend, the San Francisco 49ers are primed to be one of the most aggressive teams in the offseason. This is how the team should attack free agency.

A year ago at this time for the San Francisco 49ers, the organization had just capped off a dismal 2-14 season and were without a head coach and general manager. It is safe to say the situation is a little bit different for the team now.

One aspect that has not changed over from last season though is San Francisco’s financial flexibility. The front office did an excellent job of clearing the deck, and now the new regime gets to reap the benefits of that strategic planning.

Per estimates from Over the Cap, the 49ers will have $114.9 million in cap space for 2018. That is most in the NFL, and also means they are the only team in the league besides the Cleveland Browns to have over $100 million in cap space.

This will allow for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to target any player they wish — no price tag is too high essentially.

With this in mind, I will be mapping out a free agency plan for San Francisco using Pro Football Focus grades and contract estimates based on figures from Spotrac. The starting point for the cap number has quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s hypothetical contract factored into it.

At a bare minimum, Garoppolo will earn $23.5 million this season if he is tagged. To play it safe, let’s just assume Garoppolo gets a new deal in the range of $125 million for five years, which would be $25 million annually.

That leaves roughly $89.9 million for the 49ers to complete their other offseason moves.