4 players 49ers were wise to pass on in 2022 NFL free agency
By Peter Panacy
No. 2 free agent 49ers are happy they didn’t sign: OG Brandon Scherff
The Niners lost Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson to NFL free agency, and trying to retain him in light of his three-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets would have been difficult enough if not impossible.
Still, San Francisco has question marks along its offensive line, magnified in Tomlinson’s wake, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team make some additional B-level moves to help reinforce this unit.
One of those moves, however, won’t be former Washington Commanders All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff.
Granted, Scherff would have been a great addition as a quality veteran and someone who is familiar with head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He’d probably be an upgrade over Tomlinson, too.
And while the Jacksonville Jaguars arguably got a decent bargain by signing Scherff to a three-year deal worth up to $49.5 million, that money would have been far above what the 49ers would have been able to pay.
The Niners haven’t overly prioritized big money on interior guards anyway under Shanahan, so getting into a bidding war for Scherff wouldn’t have been good business.
Better to let him sign elsewhere.