5 pending free agents 49ers must re-sign in 2021
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers are facing some tough NFL free agency decisions in 2021, and these five players should be high on the Niners’ re-sign priority list.
The San Francisco 49ers roster in 2021 could look a lot different than the roster head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. are planning on bringing into the fray this upcoming season.
One of the biggest pressing points is the number of pending free agents the team has, whose contracts are set to expire once 2020 comes to a close. Not long ago, the Niners would have been laden with lucrative amounts of salary cap space.
That’s no longer the case.
According to Over the Cap, San Francisco is projected to have just under $45 million in available cap space heading into 2021, including whatever rollover the team is scheduled to have. But this doesn’t account for the Niners’ 2021 rookie NFL Draft class, which will likely average out between $7 million and $10 million, nor does it account for possible extensions and other NFL free agency signings general manager John Lynch and Co. could make between now and then.
Good teams are comprised of good players, and good players want to get paid their market value. The more good players a team has, the more expensive the payroll gets. It’s why those bad 49ers teams of years before had so much cap space available.
The Niners may be able to afford to let some high-profile pending free agents walk, particularly veteran tackle Trent Williams, considering the 2021 NFL Draft is awfully deep at tackle. Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, who has missed 19 regular-season games combined the last three years, is also a strong candidate to let walk.
But what about the players San Francisco should prioritize re-signing?
Niner Noise explores five who need to be brought back in 2021.