SF 49ers: 2021 re-sign ‘bubble watch’ for pending free agents

NFL free agency could be tough on the SF 49ers, and Niner Noise looks at the pending free-agent class ‘bubble watch’ style.

The SF 49ers have a total of 40 players scheduled to hit some form of NFL free agency this offseason.

That’s quite a lot, and it won’t be made easier knowing the 2021 salary cap is expected to drop as low as $176 million next season while the Niners already have $157-plus million committed to players on the roster. There could be some noticeable shuffling of player contracts and cap casualties, of course, but it’s safe to say general manager John Lynch and Co. have their work cut out for them.

Typically in training camp, Niner Noise looks at the roster and gauges a “bubble watch” to guestimate who’ll make the Week 1 cut and who won’t. Typically, the four categories broken down are as follows:

• Lock
• Strong bubble
• Weak bubble
• Long shot

Naturally, no pending free agent is truly a lock. But there are names who are almost guaranteed to be back or, at the very least, will be the top-priority free-agent targets.

Unrestricted free agents, who are free to negotiate with any team once contracts expire, are tough to gauge. Restricted free agents, who can receive qualifying tenders but are also open to sign elsewhere in exchange for NFL Draft compensation, are a little easier to retain.

Exclusive-rights free agents, meanwhile, can essentially only negotiate with teams holding their contractual rights. They technically shouldn’t be called free agents, but they are anyway.

And we won’t go into street free agents.

Let’s dive into our NFL free agency SF 49ers “bubble watch,” shall we?