SF 49ers: 5 offensive free agents Mike LaFleur takes to NY Jets

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Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 1: SF 49ers Fullback Kyle Juszczyk

If there’s one thing for certain, the Niners aren’t going to be able to re-sign perennial Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk if he’s asking for anything close to the four-year, $21 million free-agent deal he got from San Francisco back in 2017. Financially speaking, the SF 49ers aren’t in a position to anything of that sort.

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Juszczyk’s value to the Niners needs little introduction. His range of impact went from serving as an excellent lead blocker to being a mismatch receiving weapon down the field.

Mike LaFleur knows this all too well. His run-game efforts required a fullback to serve as that critical lead blocker. And while the position is often looked at as a dying breed in today’s NFL, both LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan made good use of Juszczyk on offense the last four seasons, standing in contrast to that particular notion.

In 2017, the SF 49ers could afford to overpay players coming in for the opening phases of the rebuild. That’s no longer where the Niners sit, but it’s exactly where LaFleur, Robert Saleh and the Jets now find themselves. They can afford to overpay players, creating contractual outliers compared to similar deals around the league.

While his knowledge of the system alone makes Juszczyk a prime free-agent candidate for New York, the fullback’s prior experience on a full-team rebuild in San Francisco all the way up to a Super Bowl after 2019 also makes him a top target.

Next. 5 Niners free agents Robert Saleh could take with him to Jets. dark

Don’t be surprised if Juszczyk is donning green and white by the start of the league new year.