Predicting landing spots for SF 49ers top 5 free agents in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Fullback Kyle Juszczyk
It sure seemed as if perennial Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk was bidding his farewells to his employer and fanbase for the last four years during his end-of-season press conference in early January:
There’s no way the Niners can afford another deal like the four-year, $21 million free-agent contract he initially signed back in 2017 when he helped transform what was a two-win squad the season before. And while Juszczyk is so vitally important to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, the reality of the situation suggests the fullback will have to take his services elsewhere in 2021.
A number of teams could call on Juszczyk this offseason. But there’s a real sense he could perform a similar duty with the Jets, who also hired San Francisco’s former pass-game coordinator, Mike LaFleur, to be their offensive coordinator.
LaFleur’s offense will probably be just as complex as Shanahan’s, and the need of an experienced fullback to do essentially everything makes a lot of sense.
And Gang Green has plenty of resources to overspend on a would-be free-agent deal.