5 pending free agents SF 49ers should watch this postseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Cornerback Kevin King, Green Bay Packers
The SF 49ers are going to lose multiple defensive backs this offseason. Safety Jaquiski Tartt is a pending free agent, and so are cornerbacks Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams, Dontae Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley, the latter being of the restricted variety.
Like Verrett, Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King has dealt with injuries for much of his career and probably wouldn’t be considered much of an upgrade over the kind of performance Verrett enjoyed in 2020.
After all, over 11 regular-season games, Pro Football Focus handed King a so-so 55.7 overall grade on the year.
Still, King is one season removed where he registered five interceptions and a whopping 15 passes defended. San Francisco could always bank on that kind of hope, although King cashing in on his first free-agent deal after his rookie contract expires will make it likely a more expensive route to take.
Still, young cornerbacks tend to take time adjusting to life at the pro level, and King’s solid 2019 campaign after struggling a bit with injuries and consistency his first two years is a note of that.
And taking a look at King’s performance in the postseason would be one way the Niners could consider whether or not he’d be worth looking at.