Why the 49ers should move on from these 3 players in 2020

No. 1: Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin

This one hurts. This one hurts so much.

Seven-year wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has been with the 49ers for the last three seasons. With 962 receiving yards, 46 first-down conversions and two touchdowns, 2017 was truly a breakout season for the speedster, whose previous tenure with the Buffalo Bills never exactly flourished.

Goodwin captured national headlines after an emotional 83-yard touchdown from C.J. Beathard against the New York Giants in Week 10 of 2017. Unknown to most, hours before the game, Goodwin and his wife lost their son due to premature birth. Only after the game did the world learn about the significance of Goodwin’s end zone celebration to honor his late son.

It was such a moving occasion when teammates, who were privy to Goodwin’s loss, surrounded him in the end zone to show support.

All feel-goods aside, Goodwin has simply not lived up to his three-year, $20 million contract given the amount of time he’s spent off the field with personal issues or injuries.

Take a look at his precipitous drop in stats:

• 2018: 395 yards, 19 first-down conversions, four touchdowns and only 11 games played
• 2019: 186 yards, 10 first-down conversions, one touchdown and only nine games played

Thankfully, the 49ers are now stacked at wide receiver this year, but that is a double-edged sword on which Goodwin might have to fall.

At the end of the day, this type of performance just doesn’t cut it in real life. While Goodwin is still under contract in 2020, nearly $5 million could be generated in cap savings if the Niners part ways, up against $1.25 million in dead money.

If this is how the chips fall, thank you for the memories.