Niner Noise
FanSided

Refuting complaints about the 49ers’ 2018 NFL free agency class

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 24: Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins #12 of the Los Angeles Rams carries the ball against the Tennessee Titians at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 24: Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins #12 of the Los Angeles Rams carries the ball against the Tennessee Titians at Nissan Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Claim No. 2: 49ers Should Have Been More Aggressive with Cap Space

All that money, and the Niners couldn’t splurge on a big-name free agent or two, three.

OK, so chief contracts negotiator Paraag Marathe is notoriously good at making team-friendly deals. And the argument can be made this turns off some free agents.

More on that in a moment, but consider this — the 49ers haven’t been in trouble with the salary cap in a long, long time. They were somewhat close during the Jim Harbaugh era but were never quite in salary cap hell.

Another one of those teams heavily active in free agency this offseason was the Kansas City Chiefs.

Unlike the Jets and Browns, the Chiefs aren’t bad. They’re regular playoff contenders now. But they also splurged in free agency, bringing aboard wide receiver Sammy Watkins on a three-year, $48 million deal — a lot of money for an inconsistent wideout, who owns a slightly better than 50-percent catch rate at the NFL level.

And then there was former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who signed a five-year, $45 million deal with a whopping $21.3 million guaranteed.

Considering K.C. has just over $12 million in cap space right now, those kinds of deals will wind up putting the Chiefs right back into a salary cap predicament very soon.

49ers Playing the Long Game

The big contracts signed at the opening of free agency are rarely good ideas. Those four-year monster contracts often wind up being cap casualties just after two or three years into the deal.

Remember, the Niners played more rookies last year than anyone else in the league. That means a lot of players are on cheap rookie deals. But there are some players who’ll need to be re-signed/extended in the near future.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 27: Trent Brown #77 of the San Francisco 49ers blocks Cameron Wake #91 of the Miami Dolphins during the 1st quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on November 27, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 27: Trent Brown #77 of the San Francisco 49ers blocks Cameron Wake #91 of the Miami Dolphins during the 1st quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on November 27, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

Right tackle Trent Brown, one of the better pass blockers in the league, is in a contract year. And former first-round draft pick, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, will see his rookie deal expire after 2019 if the team doesn’t pick up his fifth-year option.

Why not get ahead of the curve now, saving some cap space to roll over and offer smarter extensions before either hits free agency?

Remember the part about good teams retaining their best talent?