49ers signing Kwon Alexander makes Reuben Foster bust hurt more

The San Francisco 49ers took to NFL free agency to find another linebacker, Kwon Alexander, to fill the void left by Reuben Foster. And it proved to be a costly mistake for the Niners, literally.

It’s very possible soon-to-be-signed free-agent linebacker Kwon Alexander has a productive and successful career with the San Francisco 49ers.

But it wasn’t supposed to be that way.

Alexander, of course, will sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the Niners, making him the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. His $13.5 million annual average salary is over a million more than the next player on that list, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Granted, the 49ers have more than enough cap space to attack the 2019 offseason. But dropping up to $54 million on a player coming off a 2018 ACL tear didn’t have to happen.

Why? Well, the Niners were hoping former linebacker Reuben Foster was going to be the answer.

Foster’s legal transgressions and issues forced him off the team back in November of last year. San Francisco took the gamble, selecting him at No. 31 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, knowing full well his stock value plummeted after a diluted sample and confrontation with a medical staff member, which resulted in him being dismissed from that year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch described just how much this hurt the 49ers, financially:

"On Monday, four months after releasing the thrice-arrested inside linebacker they selected in the first round, the 49ers paid a premium to find Foster’s replacement in the starting lineup: They will sign former Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander, 24, to a four-year, $54 million deal with $27 million guaranteed, ESPN reported.In 2019, Foster, who is now with Washington, would have been in the third season of his four-year, $9.03 million rookie contract with the 49ers."

Additionally, the Niners will be on the books for $2,355,660 in dead money for 2019 after Foster’s release.

Foster would have cost the 49ers $1.286 million this year, which stands in stark contrast to the $13.5 million average Alexander is set to make.

San Francisco attempted to prepare for Foster’s 2018 legal issues by selecting BYU’s Fred Warner in last year’s NFL Draft. That move appeared to work out well, as Warner looks to be a shoo-in starter at MIKE linebacker. Alexander is likely to occupy the weak-side (WILL) spot next to Warner, and the only difference is the MIKE calling defensive plays in the huddle.

Granted, the exact details of Alexander’s contract aren’t yet known, and the $27 million in guarantees is ultimately what matters most. Executive Vice President of Football Operations and chief contracts negotiator Paraag Marathe is a genius at managing the salary cap. So any concerns about Alexander’s pending contract shouldn’t garner too much of a concern.

Still, the 49ers were left to scramble for options on the free-agent market, possibly overpaying for a player at a position they had hoped to have already filled in the NFL Draft.

Instead, the mistake on Foster bit yet again.