No. 3: Going After a Mid-Level Free Agent
If Jimmie Ward ends up moving on, it wouldn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of the 49ers replacing him on the free-agent market.
Pickings this offseason are relatively slim, but there are a few names worth keeping tabs on.
One possibility thrown around is Chicago Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was Pro Football Focus‘ ideal NFL free agency target for San Francisco this offseason.
Clinton-Dix, 27 years old, doesn’t come with the injury history Ward has, and the former has been a regular starter ever since the Green Bay Packers selected him way back in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the same year the 49ers took Ward.
While Clinton-Dix might not have had the most prolific year, compared to Ward, he does have enough upside and could warrant in the range of $7 million per year. That would be a projected $1 million less, annually, than what Ward is likely to receive.
At this point, that kind of money would matter a lot to San Francisco.
Other potential names to watch on the free-agent market this offseason are the Carolina Panthers’ Tre Boston, the New Orleans Saints’ Vonn Bell and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Adrian Phillips.