5 players 49ers should have pursued more aggressively in free agency

No. 1 free agent 49ers should have pursued harder: CB J.C. Jackson

Not dogging the Charvarius Ward signing one bit. He’s a massive upgrade for the 49ers secondary and should provide an immediate boost to what was easily the team’s biggest weakness last season.

But Ward isn’t necessarily a ballhawking defensive back, recording just four interceptions over his four-year career. And for a Niners secondary that struggled to pick off opposing quarterbacks in recent seasons, finding someone who had a knack of doing so could have been a top priority.

Perhaps San Francisco had its eyes on former New England Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson, whose 17 interceptions over the last two seasons say everything you need to know about ballhawking.

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And even though the 49ers would have had to dish out a significant chunk of change to match what the Los Angeles Chargers are going to pay Jackson, $82.5 million over five years (an annual average of $16.5 million), that number isn’t significantly higher than the $14 million annual average Ward is set to receive.

Perhaps the Niners could have been a bit more aggressive on Jackson instead of Ward, even though they shouldn’t complain too much about the player they ended up with.