With so many one-year contracts expiring, the 49ers simply won’t be entertained at bringing these five pending free agents back in 2022.
It was a small miracle the San Francisco 49ers weren’t hit with insane NFL free agency attrition heading into the 2021 season despite a large number of pending free agents and the shrunken salary cap this year because of the pandemic.
In a way, though, Niners general manager John Lynch proverbially “kicked the can” down the road a little bit by offering up a slew of cheap and team-friendly one-year contracts to a lot of his pending free agents, putting off the problem for at least one more season.
Heading into 2022, many of the same NFL free agency challenges will rise up again.
If there’s good news, San Francisco can expect the salary cap to bounce back up once more. According to Over the Cap, next year’s salary cap is predicted to be $208.2 million, a sizable increase from the current $182.5 million.
That said, a number of pending free agents certainly won’t be back and wearing a 49ers uniform next year, including these five players.
No. 5: 49ers Cornerback Jason Verrett
Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett was one of those players who returned on a team-friendly one-year deal after enjoying what was arguably his most productive season since his Pro Bowl 2015 campaign with the San Diego Chargers.
Thoroughly mixed in that period since, though, was Verrett’s injury history, 2020 essentially being the outlier, which somehow convinced the Niners he’d be worth another one-year flier heading into 2021.
Verrett’s season-ending torn ACL suffered in Week 1 emphasized two different things. For starters, Verrett unfortunately can’t shake the injury association, also having played just six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019, and San Francisco should be faulted for placing too much reliance on Verrett staying healthy once again.
The 49ers hope their two rookie corners, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir, can both develop into long-term replacements. But even with their own struggles, along with the uncertainty of either panning out, the Niners aren’t going to take the same risk with Verrett as they did last offseason.
He’ll walk, even if Verrett only asks for the veteran’s minimum.
No. 4: 49ers Tight End Ross Dwelley
Usually, there’s not going to be much interest in backup tight ends hitting the free-agent market. But considering All-Pro tight end George Kittle has unfortunately dealt with a small-but-noticeable injury history in recent years, identifying a quality fill-in replacement has been somewhat necessary.
Prior to 2021, No. 2 tight end Ross Dwelley had handled those duties relatively well. Sure, he might not possess Kittle’s blocking or yards-after-the-catch prowess. But Dwelley nevertheless came up with some clutch grabs between 2019 and 2020.
Now, however, Dwelley appears to have lost his placement on the depth chart to second-year pro tight end Charlie Woerner.
Woerner now sits ahead of Dwelley in offensive snaps this season, 189 to 184, and the former is easily a superior blocker. Despite Woerner’s raw and unrefined route-running abilities, it sure seems as if San Francisco is trying its best to groom Woerner into a complementary pass-catcher to Kittle, as Woerner now has five catches for 52 yards compared to Dwelley’s four for 51.
It’s unlikely Dwelley will want to return on the cheap to hang around as a No. 3 option on the depth chart, pointing to the strong likelihood the 49ers let him walk once NFL free agency hits in 2022.
No. 3: 49ers Defensive Tackle D.J. Jones
Free agency isn’t always about letting go of players who are underperforming or no longer fit the team’s needs.
Often, teams need to prioritize their other needs elsewhere, which can often mean letting go of players they’d otherwise like to keep around but simply can’t.
This is probably what’s going to wind up happening with nose tackle D.J. Jones, a quality member of the Niners run-stopping defensive line in base formations and someone who has proven his worth both against the run and in the pass-rush department.
Jones, who has also dealt with injuries over the years, has nevertheless found himself tied for second on San Francisco’s defense with five tackles for a loss this season. Despite the regular and consistent production during his 49ers tenure, though, Jones falls into that category of a player who’ll likely want to cash in on a bigger contract in 2022.
It would be one thing if the Niners didn’t have any adequate contingency plans, although 1-technique nose tackles aren’t exactly tough to find on the free-agent market. Still, San Francisco has watched Jones’ primary backup, Kevin Givens, emerge as a quality player over the last two seasons.
An exclusive-rights free agent in 2022, meaning he can only negotiate with the 49ers and no one else, Givens can easily be retained on the cheap.
That probably ensures Jones walks.
No. 2: 49ers Safety Jaquiski Tartt
In some ways, strong safety Jaquiski Tartt’s situation compares to that of both Jason Verrett and D.J. Jones, a quality player who makes the 49ers defense much better when he’s on the field, except for the fact he’s had trouble staying healthy over the years.
2021 hasn’t been too different. Tartt dealt with a turf-toe injury early in the year, one suffered late in 2020, then missed an additional three games with a bone bruise to his knee.
Also like Jones and Verrett, the Niners brought Tartt back on a cheap one-year deal, putting off the immediate need to find a fill-in replacement capable of starting right away.
Related Story: 49ers must give Talanoa Hufanga a chance to shine
The hope, however, is fifth-round rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga, who emerged as Tartt’s immediate backup when he was out, can take over those starting duties in 2022 and offer up the same kind of playmaking skills he flashed in college without the worries of being an inexperienced defensive back.
And without the injury concerns, too.
While Hufanga has had moments where he’s looked like a rookie, the energy and tenacity brought to the defense hasn’t gone unnoticed. That alone might prompt San Francisco to let Tartt walk this offseason. Paired with Tartt’s injury history, it’s probably best and more beneficial to focus on Hufanga’s long-term development instead.
No. 1: 49ers Running Back Raheem Mostert
Just like Jason Verrett, veteran running back Raheem Mostert‘s season-ending knee injury suffered back in Week 1 created a good deal of worry about whether or not the 49ers’ ground game would be sufficient in 2021.
Thanks to rookie sixth-round runner Elijah Mitchell, it has.
Mitchell, a player who possesses Mostert-like speed with his 4.32 40-yard time, has already set a new franchise record for most 100-yard rushing games by a rookie with four, and counting. With 693 rush yards over eight games played, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, Mitchell is the unquestioned starter going forward.
Turning 30 years old in 2022, Mostert won’t be.
True, the Niners have some depth questions at the position heading into the offseason. Round 3 rookie running back Trey Sermon has been mostly an afterthought, fellow rusher JaMycal Hasty has been more of a gadget player and veteran tailback Jeff Wilson Jr. is an unrestricted free agent, too.
But Mostert, likely looking to cash in on what might be his final significant contract at the pro level, probably won’t accept a reduced role behind Mitchell moving forward.
It seems probable San Francisco sees things the same way, ultimately bidding goodbye and good luck to Mostert this offseason.