Super Bowl 55: 4 free agents SF 49ers should watch for 2021
By Peter Panacy
The SF 49ers may want to pay a bit closer attention to both the Chiefs and Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55, as these pending free agents may fit.
It’s not likely the SF 49ers are going to be overly aggressive in NFL free agency this offseason. While the team is poised to lose potentially 35 players to some form of free agency in 2021, a dwindling salary cap and lowish cap space this offseason means general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have to be awfully picky about their targets.
And it might mean some bargain-basement players over the many high-profile names available on the market.
There’s one more game which Lynch and Shanahan can evaluate, Super Bowl 55 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and both teams have free agents the Niners could potentially have interest in.
Most of the targets may just supply some depth, little more. But that’s going to be important to San Francisco’s offseason plans, too.
Here are four free agents the SF 49ers could consider from the Super Bowl squads this season.
No. 4: Offensive Guard Daniel Kilgore, Kansas City Chiefs
Fans will remember their former center, Daniel Kilgore, who seemed to be a piece Shanahan liked back in 2017 when he took over head-coaching duties.
Kilgore, who started all 16 games that season, developed a rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and that led to a new contract extension into 2018 and beyond. But when the Niners ended up landing veteran center Weston Richburg in NFL free agency that offseason, Kilgore was made expendable and was traded to the Miami Dolphins instead.
The Chiefs picked up Kilgore on a one-year deal last offseason. While he’s served as a mere reserve option for Kansas City, appearing in just seven regular-season games and starting four of them, the 33 year old does provide experience and quality depth.
Those are both elements San Francisco could use, as it dealt with plenty of injury attrition along the interior of its own offensive line this year.
Considering his age and current role, Kilgore would likely join on a cheap contract, circling back to the team that originally drafted him back in 2011.