A number of high-profile 49ers free agents ultimately signed with new teams quickly this offseason, but a handful of others may find NFL free agency tougher.
There was a reasonable prediction heading into the offseason that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would struggle to find a new team in NFL free agency.
After all, Garoppolo ended up suffering a season-ending injury for the third year out of six with the Niners, and San Francisco’s offense actually improved by a considerable margin when rookie quarterback Brock Purdy took over in Week 13.
Needless to say, Garoppolo’s market should have been thin, right?
Well, it wasn’t. Jimmy G signed with the Las Vegas Raiders awfully quickly, closing the door on his time with the 49ers and ending any suggestion of him being an undesirable commodity.
A good number of other former Niners found new homes relatively quickly, too, including veteran safety Jimmie Ward (Houston Texans) and right tackle Mike McGlinchey (Denver Broncos).
However, among those former San Francisco players who still remain unsigned, a few could have an awfully tough time finding new teams this year.
Let’s take a look at some who may be in that unfortunate category.
Former 49ers tight end Tyler Kroft
Head coach Kyle Shanahan tried to find his perfect No. 2 tight end to pair with George Kittle last year by grabbing former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets tight end Tyler Kroft.
While Kroft had a seven-touchdown campaign back in 2017, injuries and an overall lack of substantial impact held the 30-year-old veteran to a mere four catches for 57 yards over 11 games.
Not exactly top-end production from even a backup player.
The 49ers re-signed depth tight end Ross Dwelley already, and this year’s NFL Draft is exceptionally deep at the position, too, meaning teams in need of a tight end are likely to look at someone younger and more promising.
Not a player on the wrong side of 30 years old coming off injury-plagued years and not delivering in one of the most receiver-friendly offenses in the NFL.
Former 49ers defensive back Dontae Johnson
Either the Niners end up signing veteran defensive back Dontae Johnson, or no one else will.
Seriously, Johnson’s inevitability with San Francisco has been something to watch, and it’s arguably been entertaining.
Johnson has more or less bounced on and off the 49ers’ roster as the 53rd man for the better part of four seasons now, and the last time he was actually rostered elsewhere than with the Niners was back in 2019 when he was briefly a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
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His team prior to signing with the Bolts was San Francisco, too.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s 2022 campaign ended with an ACL tear, and the 49ers may not look to bring him back, especially after inking defensive backs Isaiah Oliver and Myles Hartsfield in NFL free agency.
Lacking other suitors, the 31-year-old Johnson may not have a ton of attention on the market.
Former 49ers defensive back Jaquiski Tartt
This doesn’t have to be a list of just former Niners players who hit free agency in 2023.
Former strong safety Jaquiski Tartt departed San Francisco a year ago, joining the Philadelphia Eagles late into the offseason but ultimately failing to make the regular-season roster, which was quite a surprise.
After all, it wasn’t as if Tartt was a massive liability for the 49ers despite that forgettable dropped interception in the NFC Championship game versus the Los Angeles Rams that season. Other than that, the 31-year-old Tartt was still a quality player.
Tartt didn’t sign on elsewhere after Philly jettisoned him. Considering the recent influx of a number of good young safeties, paired with the fact that a full year away from the league that’s not injury-related can be disastrous for a player’s value, and it might not be surprising to see Tartt remain a player seeking out a new venue for a second consecutive offseason.
Perhaps longer.
Former 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett
Back-to-back years with serious season-ending injuries. Those on the opposite bookend of a year in which just two regular-season snaps were played.
In between, 2020, cornerback Jason Verrett had a Pro Bowl-like campaign with the Niners, and they took a low-risk flier on him the following two years, only to see him beset by the aforementioned injuries.
Considering he had just six regular-season games played between 2016 and 2019, the injury-prone Verrett is highly unlikely to receive the same kind of attention he got from San Francisco the last two years.
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Devastating for him, too.
Look, it’s no one’s business what Verrett wants to do with his football career at this point. However, his health has to be a primary concern, and no one would fault him if he elected to walk away from football.
If he wants to come back, though, it’d be an amazing story. It might just be tough to find a new team to do it with, however.