San Francisco 49ers: 5 key storylines to watch in 2020 offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Re-Sign or Let Walk?
One of the reasons the 49ers want to clear up some additional cap room this offseason is to re-sign a number of key players this offseason.
San Francisco has more than a few notable players hitting the NFL free agency market in 2020, including the following:
- DT Arik Armstead
- DB Jimmie Ward
- WR Emmanuel Sanders
- TE Levine Toilolo
- C Ben Garland
- DE Ronald Blair
- DT Sheldon Day
The first three names garner the most attention.
Armstead is a candidate for the franchise tag, which would likely cost San Francisco in the neighborhood of $17 million fully guaranteed in 2020. John Lynch told reporters he’d prefer a long-term deal with Armstead, but exactly how much and to what effect it would impact long-term financial plans would be a potential issue.
Sanders will be a tough re-sign, too, considering the soon-to-be 33 year old is likely poised to cash in on the last big-money contract of his career.
And Ward is coming off a career year, too.
An educated guess would suggest the 49ers are willing to bring two of those three players back on new deals.
But who those two wind up being is anyone’s guess.