3 reasons why 49ers haven’t been hyper-aggressive in NFL free agency
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers made one notable signing in NFL free agency, but for the most part, John Lynch has steered clear of many of the big-ticket names in 2022.
NFL free agency is a funny thing.
Each year, fans clamor and beg their favorite teams to go after the biggest names suddenly hitting the open market. Playoff-contending teams can add that final star to suddenly turn into a Super Bowl contender, while bad teams can make a few splash moves that’ll help get them back into relevancy.
And while money is always a massive factor, there are other elements that go into whether or not Free Agent X will sign with Team Y.
So, where do the San Francisco 49ers fit into all of this?
With two full days of the NFL free agency negotiating window now passed, and the official start of the 2022 league new year beginning on March 16, Niners general manager John Lynch has stayed relatively quiet, and San Francisco hasn’t engaged in any of those splash blockbuster deals fans otherwise love seeing.
Why the inaction?
OK, yes. The 49ers were roughly $9.5 million above the 2022 salary cap just before the start of free agency, so money was going to be a challenge even when they parted ways with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Yet while that’s the obvious No. 1 answer, there are plenty of other reasons why Lynch and Co. haven’t been overly aggressive at trying to land those splash deals seen across the league (ahem, Jacksonville Jaguars).
Let’s explore reasons why the Niners have been mostly quiet.