49ers mock draft and free agency: Predicting the 2020 NFL offseason
By Chris Wilson
Sign 49ers’ pending free agents
The following signing certainly threw a wrench into my 2020 offseason predictions:
DE Arik Armstead – Signed to a six-year contract
Instead of tagging and trading Armstead to another NFL team with a pass-rushing need, the 49ers put all their chips in on their former first-round pick, signing the defensive end to an $85 million contract, averaging $17 million per season with over $34 million guaranteed. Of course, when the details emerged, the deal — while still extremely expensive — is more team-friendly than initially reported:
The #49ers are giving star DL Arik Armstead a 5-year deal, sources say, avoiding the franchise tag and locking him up long-term. He gets up to $85M on his new deal.💰💰💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
Armstead has played well when healthy, highlighted by a 10-sack season last year. In 2018, the former Oregon Duck also stood out, but only tallied three sacks in 16 starts. The decision to trade Buckner and sign Armstead will be one of the defining moments of “Lynchahan’s” tenure in San Francisco.
FS Jimmie Ward – Sign after he tests free agency
Last season, the 49ers allowed starting free safety Jimmie Ward to test free agency before he returned to San Francisco to sign a one-year prove-it deal with the team that drafted him at the end of the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.
#49ers re-signing DB Jimmie Ward for one season, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 13, 2019
The oft-injured safety proved it in 2019, although injury kept him from the field for three games to begin the year. After what the Niners hope was his breakout season, the team’s front office wasted no time signing Ward to a relatively team-friendly, three-year contract.
DL Ronald Blair – Re-sign to a short contract
This projection was based on the thought that Buckner would be retained and Armstead would be traded. However, even after Armstead signed his multi-year deal and Buckner was sent to Indianapolis, Lynch and Shanahan still chose to bring backup defensive lineman Ronald Blair back on a one-year contract with the team.
Blair will provide the Niners with depth along the defensive line, provided he enters training camp recovered from the ACL tear he sustained during an important tackle of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in Week 10 of the 2019 season.
RB Matt Breida and WR Kendrick Bourne – Second-round tenders
Since both running back Matt Breida and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne entered the NFL as undrafted free agents (UDFA), the 49ers were forced to provide both Restricted Free Agents (RFA) with second-round tenders. Otherwise, the team would receive no draft compensation if either player signed elsewhere after being tendered with the cheaper original-round Qualifying Offer.
If Brieda and Bourne remain with the 49ers, they will each receive $3.278 million in 2020. While Bourne appeared to be a lock to remain with the team given Shanahan’s love for the serviceable wideout, but the head coach kept Breida on the sidelines during the latter half of the 2019 season, despite the explosive runner’s level of production during his three seasons in the league.
Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFA) – Tender nearly all the 49ers’ ERFAs
The smart move for San Francisco was to tender all of the team’s ERFAs, except for practice-squad offensive lineman Andrew Lauderdale. Lynch and Shanahan did just that by tendering one-year contracts to CB Emmanuel Moseley, QB Nick Mullens, RB Jeff Wilson, TE Ross Dwelley, and OL Daniel Brunskill.