Predicting the 49ers’ biggest moves in NFL free agency

No. 1: Safety Earl Thomas

If there’s one free agent most closely linked to the 49ers this offseason, it’s six-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas, who is all but guaranteed not to return to the Seattle Seahawks after failing to reach a new contract last year.

Thomas, who’ll turn 30 years old this May, is coming off a serious leg injury. That could dampen his price tag to an extent, but he’ll still be one of the prime free-agent targets on the open market.

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Good thing the Niners have a few things going for them in this pursuit.

First, both Seattle and San Francisco run an identical defensive scheme, which would put Thomas atop the defense as a single-high free safety. Second, the 49ers have Thomas’ former teammate with the Seahawks, cornerback Richard Sherman, as a recruiter. Lastly, playing Seattle twice a year, which helped convince Sherman in 2018, is enticing. So is that solid amount of cap space.

There are also a lot of free-agent safeties on the open market, too, which could cut into Thomas’ eventual signing price. Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald speculates Thomas getting roughly $10 million or $11 million, annually, per year — far lower than what could have been a $15 million annual average salary on a thin market.

That’s great news for San Francisco, which could outbid teams like the Dallas Cowboys, who are also likely in on Thomas’ services in 2019.

If the Niners can outbid the Cowboys, Thomas should wind up in a 49ers uniform in 2019 and would help alleviate one of the greatest positional shortages for the immediate future.