SF 49ers: 5 players who are in line for massive paydays in 2021

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San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: SF 49ers Linebacker Fred Warner

2020 Contract Value: $1,234,547

Perhaps no other player on the Niners roster will see the sheer increase in total pay value than first-time Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner.

Warner, of course, still has one more year remaining on his rookie contract after being selected in Round 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft, and 2021 marks the first opportunity San Francisco will have in terms of negotiating an extension.

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And, wow. That won’t come cheap.

Warner has already cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best linebackers, and his placement at No. 70 on the league’s top-100 list entering this season, combined with his first Pro Bowl nod, won’t make him any cheaper.

In 2019, the Seattle Seahawks signed perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner to a three-year contract extension worth $54 million and at an APY of $18 million, currently the highest for any linebacker in the NFL in terms of yearly totals.

But Wagner is 30 years old, whereas Warner is only scratching the surface of his top potential at 24 years old. There’s an awfully real chance Warner will ask for substantially more than what Wagner is getting.

And, too, Warner could threaten to hold out this offseason and not step on the field until a new deal is reached.

Next. 5 pending free-agent 49ers who haven't helped themselves in 2020. dark

Considering his net importance to the SF 49ers defense, it would probably be wise for John Lynch and Co. to essentially hand Warner a blank check. He’s earned it.