5 49ers players who could find themselves cut in 2020

No. 3: Offensive Guard Mike Person

From underachieving players to contractual situations, the next player on this list has much more to do with the latter situation than anything else.

Over his season-plus in a 49ers uniform, right guard Mike Person has been reliable, effective and a stalwart for Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Never someone receiving a lot of publicity or credit, Person has nevertheless been an excellent piece in San Francisco’s remade offensive line.

So, why would the Niners want to move on from him in 2020?

Well, it has a lot more to do with contract numbers than anything else. Person is signed through 2021 at a relatively cheap number:

Zero in guaranteed money the next two seasons. And for those not in the know, contract-wise, things get weird for players who no longer have guaranteed numbers in their contracts.

This could open up Person to a renegotiation, of course. But with San Francisco having some other pressing salary-cap needs in the coming years, it wouldn’t be out of question to see another route taken, potentially by the way of the draft. Or even another player, too, perhaps someone on the 49ers practice squad, like 2019 rookie Ross Reynolds, who’ll come much cheaper.

Again, this is hard to speculate. And Person has done nothing, as far as his performance, to justify anything but the Niners wanting to keep him.

But contracts and money both talk. It could here in 2020.