5 potential 49ers free agents we will miss (if they aren’t re-signed)

49ers free-agent No. 4: Cornerback K’Waun Williams

It might be a case where the 49ers have to think about moving on from their veteran nickel cornerback, K’Waun Williams, who returned to the Niners on a cheap one-year deal last offseason when there wasn’t particularly a great market for his services.

San Francisco could easily want to “turn the page” on Williams entering 2022, which is something Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey argued last week, and it would make sense for the 49ers to get younger and potentially cheaper.

Williams, 31 years old by the time the 2022 regular season begins, is likely looking to cash in on what could be his final substantial payout at the pro level, considering he’s hitting the last stretch of his NFL career.

Whether or not the Niners want to reward him in that sense is anyone’s guess, but it does make sense to find younger alternatives. And if those hit the pocketbook a little less, it’s even better.

What would make this tough, though, is the fact Williams has been with San Francisco ever since it ushered in the rebuild under John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, Williams being one of the team’s first free agents signed by the new regime.

Williams has paralleled the return to prominence and played a big role in it, too, making his possible departure a tough one to acknowledge.