5 pending free agents SF 49ers must re-sign in 2021
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Re-Sign Target No. 1: Offensive Tackle Trent Williams
2020 Cap Hit: $12.5 million
As tough as it might be, the SF 49ers need to find a way to retain the 32-year-old Trent Williams.
His $12.5 million cap hit is second on the Niners payroll just behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ($26.6 million), and there’s little reason to suspect Williams would offer himself up on a discount just to stick around with Kyle Shanahan a little longer.
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Perhaps, but let’s not count on it.
Part of Williams’ negotiations with San Francisco after being acquired from Washington last offseason included the 49ers not being able to place the franchise tag on him in 2021, meaning it’s either a re-sign case or he hits the open NFL free agency market.
True, the 2021 NFL Draft is reportedly deep for interior offensive linemen, but it isn’t as much for tackles. It also doesn’t appear as if right tackle Mike McGlinchey will be suited to bump over to the left side, which was the original plan when he was selected back in 2018. And considering the general lack of other starting-caliber options elsewhere on the Niners depth chart, re-signing Williams might be the only effective route Shanahan and John Lynch can take.
That could be dangerous, as Williams could essentially name his price.
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Still, the perennial Pro Bowler should be atop the list of re-sign priorities San Francisco has between now and the start of NFL free agency this offseason.