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2018 NFL Free Agency: Why the 49ers should avoid Rams CB Trumaine Johnson

By Chandler Wright

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 03: Bruce Ellington #10 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle from Trumaine Johnson #22 of the St. Louis Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 03: Bruce Ellington #10 of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle from Trumaine Johnson #22 of the St. Louis Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers are likely to start free agency with a bang in 2018. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan came out swinging last year, but Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson should be off the discussion table this offseason.

The San Francisco 49ers will be very active in free agency in 2018, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee:

Because of general manager John Lynch’s active approach, fans have linked all sorts of players to the franchise they would like to see playing in the red and gold.

But proceed with caution. NFL free agents bust just as often as high first-round draft picks.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

This year’s bust candidate is soon-to-be former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

The 49ers should not sign Johnson for a couple simple reasons. Mainly, his production does not meet his market value over the last two seasons. Let me show you what I mean.

In 2015, Johnson recorded a career-high seven interceptions in 14 games with 13 starts. As a result, Johnson earned the Rams’ exclusive franchise tag the following season.

But Johnson followed his seven interception performance of 2015 with average numbers. In Johnson’s last 30 games (29 starts) from 2016 through 2017, the supposed prized free agent has only three total interceptions. That’s one every 10 games played. Not good enough to earn a high salary.

Johnson should garner a pretty large payday, though. According to spotrac.com, Johnson’s market value will be a $13.6 million annual salary. After earning the franchise tag for two straight seasons at a $16-plus million clip, this would seem logical and Johnson will want something close, I’m sure.

Per overthecap.com, the lowest salary in the top-10 highest-paid corners per year is $12 million. Darius Slay of the Detroit Lions holds this spot. I would consider corner Nos. 2 through 7 top-flight corners. That list includes the Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman and Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson. They are considered, by most, two of the game’s best at the corner position. Should Johnson earn as much or more as they do? Certainly not with his inconsistency since his magical 2015 season.

Take Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins as an example. The Redskins franchised Cousins for two straight seasons, before trading for former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on Jan. 30. The Redskins decided to move on from Cousins because they don’t believe he is a building block of the future.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Trumaine Johnson #22 of the Los Angeles Rams enters the stadium prior to a game against the Houston Texans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Trumaine Johnson #22 of the Los Angeles Rams enters the stadium prior to a game against the Houston Texans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

The Rams have done the same thing with Johnson after his two tags, as they traded for maybe the best young corner in football. Los Angeles brought in Marcus Peters this past Friday. Yes, I know the trades mentioned above aren’t official until Mar. 14, but they’re basically done deals.

If the Rams won’t pay Johnson long term, why should the division rival 49ers?

Though the 49ers will certainly look to upgrade at corner, they should steer clear of Johnson. Johnson is already 28 years old, so he may not have many good years left at corner. Health also doesn’t seem to have been an issue in his production decline, as he has played in 30 games out of a possible 32 the last two years.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Making the case for running back Isaiah Crowell in NFL free agency

Nonetheless, Johnson hasn’t been able to duplicate his 2015 season success and his market value of $13.6 million doesn’t cut it for an average corner. No team should give Johnson this kind of money and it would be stupid of the up-and-coming 49ers to think he’ll turn things around. New England Patriots and Chicago Bears respective cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Kyle Fuller would make more sense, as their experiences and production far outweigh Johnson’s. These two free agent options are also younger. Fuller is 26, while Butler is 27.