The 49ers enter the 2022 offseason far from being a perfect team but one that’ll require a handful of notable roster moves heading into the new year.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the San Francisco 49ers heading into 2022.
For all the problems the Niners encountered last season, primarily early in the year, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad was still good and talented enough to make it all the way to the NFC Championship game.
And with a core group already in place and under contract for the upcoming season, there are few reasons to be concerned about a massive regression after being one of the NFL’s final four teams in 2021.
Yes, of course, San Francisco is poised to part ways with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to open up the door for last year’s No. 3 overall NFL Draft pick, Trey Lance. But if Lance plays even moderately better than Garoppolo for a lengthy stretch of 2022, the 49ers will be in much better shape.
In the meantime, it’s all offseason discussions for a while now, and let’s take a look at some bold predictions for Shanahan, general manager John Lynch and the entire team between now and training camp.
49ers bold prediction No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo traded to Steelers
All signs are pointing to Jimmy G being on the move, and he alluded to such during his final press conference.
The only question now, however, is where.
There are going to be more quarterback-needy teams this offseason than viable quarterbacking options. The Denver Broncos are likely on the hunt. Most of the NFC South could use a quarterback, the Washington Commanders should be on the lookout, and plenty of other teams could be seeking upgrades, too.
However, the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be emerging as favorites to act as a trade partner for Garoppolo in the wake of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
Garoppolo stressed the desire to go to a place where winning was a priority. And despite Pittsburgh’s issues on offense and defending against the run last season, it was still a playoff team under head coach Mike Tomlin.
In this bold prediction, the Niners move Garoppolo to the Steelers for a second-round draft pick in 2022.
49ers bold prediction No. 2: Deebo Samuel becomes top-5 paid wide receiver
Moving Jimmy Garoppolo will free up over $20 million in cap space in 2022, and that’ll be money needed for San Francisco to extend some of its marquee players.
Such as wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who’ll enter the final year of his rookie contract this season and will be looking for a lucrative payout after finishing third in the NFL in all-purpose yards last year with 1,770 and earning his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro accolades.
Samuel might not have quite the resume as the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, the Arizona Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins, just yet ($27.25 million APY). But it’s getting close, and the various ways the 49ers use Samuel will increase his value, too.
Spotrac predicts Samuel would be worth a new five-year deal worth over $90 million, averaging out to $18.1 million, annually.
But the Niners do have a history of rewarding their top players, and going with a new extension of $20 million APY would make a lot more sense here, and it would put Samuel into the category of being a top-five wide receiver in the league in terms of annual value.
Well deserved.
49ers bold prediction No. 3: No blue-chip players are brought in via NFL free agency
Currently, according to Spotrac, San Francisco just has a shade under $3 million in cap space heading into 2022. The number will fluctuate a lot, of course, and moving Jimmy Garoppolo will certainly add a lot more.
That said, don’t expect the 49ers to be heavily involved in the offseason free-agent market. At least not going after some of the household names out there.
Wide receivers Davante Adams, Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin, along with EDGE Von Miller, offensive guard Brandon Scherff and safety Tyrann Mathieu highlight what’s going to be a pretty notable NFL free agency class this offseason, and there’s likely to be plenty of speculation about the Niners trying to lure in a blue-chip player or two with the money generated from a would-be Garoppolo trade.
Our prediction suggests something like this won’t happen, though.
Instead, look for San Francisco to attempt retaining its own pending free-agent talent, namely nose tackle D.J. Jones, left guard Laken Tomlinson and perhaps even safety Jaquiski Tartt for 2022.
The 49ers roster is largely intact anyway and won’t need an overpriced, high-profile free agent.
49ers bold prediction No. 4: Niners bring back an old friend, Nick Mullens
Laugh now, but we’re being bold.
Trey Lance is going to be promoted from No. 2 on the quarterbacking depth chart to the starter, meaning there’ll be a void to back him up. And unless the Niners elect to retain last year’s No. 3 option, Nate Sudfelt, they’ll again be perusing the market for another backup quarterback.
As is usually the case with starters, should San Francisco lose Lance for a long period of time because of injury, it’ll be in trouble. And given the complex nature of offense Kyle Shanahan operates, it might help to grab someone during the offseason who’s at least well-versed enough in the system.
How about quarterback Nick Mullens?
Mullens’ biggest success as a pro, albeit limited, came with the 49ers primarily during 2018 when he was a relative unknown. He flamed out with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns after leaving the Niners in 2021. But Kyle Shanahan regularly felt Mullens was cerebrally good enough to know what to do with the ball.
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Even if Mullens’ physical limitations prevented him from being anything more than an emergency backup.
San Francisco will need one of those, though, and Mullens would likely be more than happy to come back to the team with which he’s had the most success.
49ers bold prediction No. 5: John Lynch trades up in 2022 NFL Draft
Wait, what? Why would the 49ers trade up in the 2022 NFL Draft? Especially after trading off so many assets to grab Trey Lance a year ago?
For starters, one of our bold predictions accounts for the Niners trading away Jimmy Garoppolo, which would give John Lynch a speculated two second-round picks, Nos. 52 (from Pittsburgh) and 61.
While there’s no exact formula for trading up or down and netting an appropriate return, those two second-round picks could potentially be enough for Lynch to get back into Round 1, albeit towards the very tail end.
It might be an effective strategy, though.
For starters, having that first-round player would give San Francisco a fifth-year option on said player, increasing the likelihood of player retention. And with the 49ers already boasting a fairly well-set roster anyway, the 2022 offseason might be focusing more on the quality of players instead of just pure quantity.
Two OK prospects in Round 2 might not be as valuable as one high-level first-round prospect in this case.
To go bold, we suggest Lynch uses those two picks to get back into Round 1.