3 tough decisions facing 49ers in 2020 NFL free agency

While the San Francisco 49ers are focused on the 2020 playoffs, NFL free agency poses some tough questions the Niners will have to answer once the offseason hits.

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t overly concerned about how to construct and retain their roster in 2020. With the No. 1 seed in the conference, the Niners are instead focused on what they need to do to win their next two games in the NFC en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LIV.

Hopefully culminating with a sixth Lombardi Trophy.

But there are those within the organization who are ultimately tasked with evaluating what the team’s actions will be once the offseason hits this February. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are ultimately going to be tasked with a tough project: improving the roster next season.

In previous years, the assets to make it happen were much more readily available. The team regularly had a high NFL Draft pick, and often plenty of them. Additionally, previously bad teams meant the 49ers weren’t committed, financially, to as many players and had a good deal of cap space available to hit NFL free agency.

Neither will be the case in 2020, however.

Armed with only one pick between Rounds 1 through 4, late in the first round, the Niners will be faced with challenges there. And as far as cap space goes, the team is scheduled to have a little over $23 million, according to Over the Cap. Reworking some contracts can help that a bit, but it won’t change the fact there are some tough challenges facing Lynch, Shanahan and the front office when it comes to its own players poised to hit the open market.

Here are three choices San Francisco will have to address.