Jim Trotter: 49ers, Buccaneers won free agency by taking ‘care of their own’

According to NFL.com’s Jim Trotter, the 49ers were among the winners in NFL free agency because they took ‘care of their own.’

Unlike the New England Patriots, who went on a wild spending spree in the opening days of NFL free agency, the San Francisco 49ers mostly focused on retaining as much of their talent as possible.

Important, considering the Niners had nearly 40 players poised to hit the free-agent market in one form or another in 2021.

A good chunk of San Francisco’s players were instrumental in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad reaching the Super Bowl after the 2019 season. And while last year’s 6-10 squad was a disappointment, the overwhelming number of injuries can easily be blamed for that particular finish.

Simply stated, the 49ers are trying to maintain the player formula that got them to the Super Bowl in the first place.

That’s why NFL.com analyst Jim Trotter cited the Niners, along with the defending-champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the two winners of NFL free agency:

"For me, the winners in free agency are not the clubs that go out and spend a lot of money — unless that money brings in a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback like Tom Brady (the Bucs ranked fifth in free agency guaranteed dollars last offseason after signing Brady, with their nearly $63 million falling roughly $84 million behind the Dolphins). My winners are those that either strike strategically, finding bargains after the initial wave of big-money spending, or use their capital to re-sign their own frontline players, as Tampa Bay and San Francisco have done. …But my free agency winners are the Bucs and 49ers for choosing to largely trust in what they have rather than go on external shopping sprees. San Francisco reached the Super Bowl two years ago, then was decimated by injury last season, losing its most important players on each side of the ball for much of the year. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played in just six games and edge rusher Nick Bosa appeared in only two before injuries sidelined them. Not surprisingly, the 49ers fell from 13 wins to six."

Likewise, the Buccaneers elected to retain as much of their Super Bowl-winning talent as possible, placing the franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Godwin, re-signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh while also keeping other valuable defenders like linebacker Lavonte David and EDGE Shaquil Barrett.

In San Francisco’s case, the only three major outside additions were center Alex Mack, who’ll fit seamlessly in Shanahan’s offense after spending time in it before with both the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, EDGE Samson Ebukam and nose tackle Zach Kerr.

Nearly every other move the 49ers made was intended to retain key players.

Some could question the Niners inking left tackle Trent Williams, who wasn’t on the 2019 Super Bowl roster, to a record-setting six-year, $138 million deal. But Williams, an eight-time Pro Bowler and likely future Hall of Famer, is worth the cost. Especially considering San Francisco didn’t have any other on-roster options in place to replace him. The same could be said of fullback Kyle Juszczyk, whose five-year, $27 million re-sign deal is a major outlier for his position.

But Juszczyk has far more value to a team like the 49ers than anywhere else. And he, too, was essential in the 49ers’ Super Bowl run.

Did San Francisco spend big money? Absolutely. But the team also retained nearly every one of its high-profile free agents while also freeing up cash by reworking some of its other contracts, such as those with EDGE Dee Ford and center Weston Richburg, who were and are still awfully questionable to see even a single snap this upcoming season. The latest reports also point to Richburg likely retiring anyway.

Trotter also added:

"Two years ago, the Raiders committed $84 million in guarantees to free agents, third-most in the league in 2019. They not only missed the playoffs, but their three highest-priced signings were off the team after only two seasons, taking just under $80 million with them.The cold reality is that over the past 10 offseasons, only half of the 10 teams that committed the most guaranteed dollars in free agency advanced to the playoffs — and none won a Super Bowl."

The 49ers didn’t spend just because they had to. No, they paid money to ensure players who are essential to their success wind up sticking around. Some on long-term deals. Others, like cornerbacks Jason Verrett and K’Waun Williams, on one-year bargain offers.

Either way, these moves appear to be of the winning variety.

At least according to Trotter.