Four free agents the 49ers should sign + a quick overview of the Garoppolo situation.
This has been one of the craziest offseasons ever.
Free agency is in full effect, and it seems to get crazier by the day. The 49ers have already made some nice signings, including their new starting corner in Charvarius Ward (an underrated player that the 49ers perhaps paid a tad bit too much), a real return specialist in Ray-Ray McCloud, and an all-pro special teamer in George Odum.
But we cannot ignore the elephant in the room. Here we are, almost a week into free agency, and… Jimmy Garoppolo is still a 49er (past the imaginary new league year deadline)? At every turn, people seem to say “We have to wait for QB X to be traded, than Garoppolo can be dealt”… when in reality, all that means is Garoppolo isn’t even Plan B for most teams. He’s not in plans for most teams. In light of Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, and DeShaun Watson all being moved, Garoppolo remains - even as guys like Mitch Trubisky get big money to go compete for a starting job in Pittsburgh.
The most interest that has been confirmed is from Indianapolis, and even then, Ian Rapaport states that there have only been discussions - and that there is nothing imminent. There isn’t a team outside of the Colts that has had interest confirmed by a reliable source. And that’s troubling.
Mitch Trubisky had confirmed interest from more than 1 team.
Marcus Mariota has already had confirmed interest, including from the Colts.
Jameis Winston has spoken to the Colts and already has an offer on the table from the Saints.
Baker Mayfield is already in trade discussions less than 24 hours after the Browns moved for Watson, as both the Colts and Seahawks are involved.
None of these guys had to wait for other QB dominoes to fall for the discussions to begin, and it’s likely that all four of them will learn where they will play next season before Garoppolo does.
Is this to say that Garoppolo isn’t as good of a QB as Trubisky, Winston, Mariota - no. He is better than Trubisky and Mariota at minimum. But what it does say is that nobody wants to trade an asset (mid-round pick) and pay Garoppolo excess of $25M, especially considering his injury history, inconsistent play, and limitations.
The narrative that the 49ers have to wait for other teams needs to end. Because as one QB exits the market, another enters.
Simply put, the book is out on Garoppolo. He’s a solid starter, but teams know they aren’t getting the Shanahan system and Shanahan with Garoppolo - just Garoppolo. How will he look in a system that wasn’t almost perfectly designed for him? The value of Jimmy Garoppolo was not what many expected, and that includes this front office. The reason for that is because the league knows the deal with Shanahan system-based QBs, and Garoppolo is no exception, he’s the perfect example. The league doesn’t want to give up a 3rd round pick and also pay $25M to an inconsistent and injury-prone 30 year old QB. And they are right to make that judgement. If Garoppolo does eventually hit unrestricted free agency, I’d expect his market to look far better as teams could then decide what they want to pay him and not have to worry about the draft pick they gave up.
But enough about Garoppolo.
This offseason has already been jaw-dropping and that’s including the fact that an extremely talented list of players has still not signed. Players like Bobby Wagner, Terron Armstead, Stephon Gilmore and more are still out there - the big names aren’t likely to be involved with the 49ers. However, there are smaller names that the 49ers should definitely take a look at bringing in. Here are some.
TE Robert Tonyan
He caught a jaw-dropping 12 TDs in Green Bay from Aaron Rodgers in 2019, but has struggled with injuries since. Tonyan is one of the better receiving TEs in the league when healthy, but isn’t much of a blocker - basically, he’d replace Ross Dwelley who was disappointing in this past season. With Woerner continuing the serve as the backup blocking specialist, Tonyan could focus on pass catching as a TE2 behind George Kittle. He should be cheap and knows the system to a tee already.
OG Ereck Flowers
Most remember him as a bust for the Giants, but what a lot don’t know is that Flowers has turned his career around in Washington. He performed well for them this past season, has experience at tackle and guard, and is a solid starter. Flowers is the ideal addition at RG for the 49ers - a veteran presence that can play tackle in a pinch but perform well at guard regardless. In this OL friendly scheme, Flowers’ athletic traits should also shine. Remember what the 49ers did for a similarly touted player in Laken Tomlinson (who only rejuvenated his career after joining the 49ers, not before) — the 49ers can offer a similar environment for Flowers to continue his success. Flowers is the classic budget-friendly addition that the 49ers tend to gravitate towards when it comes to the offensive line. He’s still young at just 27 years old, and he’s got plenty of good football left in him.
More importantly than anything else, the better comparison for Flowers in this system was in 2019 - when he played RG under Jay Gruden, who runs a similar scheme to Kyle Shanahan. Here’s an excerpt on Flowers’ play that season:
Per Pro Football Focus, Flowers played 588 snaps in pass protection. With just four plays resulting in a hit on the quarterback form the left guard position, Flowers is in rarified air. Just one other guard, who had more than 500 pass blocking snaps, allowed fewer QB hits than Flowers (Dallas' four-time All-Pro Zack Martin).
With a 97.6 pass blocking efficiency (PFF), and a 92 percent pass blocking win rate (ESPN's Next Gen Stats), Flowers was one of 13 guards to play more than 500 pass blocking snaps and allow two or fewer sacks in 2019.
Flowers’ play wasn’t nearly as strong in Miami during 2020, but he rebounded in 2021 for Washington, ranked #17 among all guards by PFF. He was a cap casualty, and if the 49ers can snatch him up, they could get a young, solid offensive lineman as a bargain bin signing - that’s valuable.
Adding Flowers would solidify this OL and also allow the 49ers to bring back Daniel Brunskill as a super-sub, rather than a starting guard which arguably was his worst position. If Aaron Banks is serviceable, this OL can be a quality unit.
CB Patrick Peterson
Yes, Peterson is old. Yes, Peterson is not what he was. But he still has value - even through injuries in 2021, Peterson played well for the Vikings when on the field. He had a bad season for ARI in 2020, but rebounded in 2021, and still has the instincts and ball skills that made him an all-world corner for so long. Peterson only allowed a 78.4 passer rating this season. You might take a quick glance at Peterson’s 63.0 PFF grade this season and question that he bounced back, but new 49ers CB Charvarius Ward notched a similar grade to Peterson with a 65.7 PFF grade. PFF isn’t the whole story (though they are still a useful tool). Peterson was still sticky in coverage when he played, and although he obviously gives up more than what he used to, he can still start and not be a liability - which is fine in the NFL at CB.
Peterson is the ideal veteran addition to a CB room who’s oldest player is 26 years old. Jason Verrett could also be brought back, but unlike Verrett, Peterson isn’t coming off an ACL injury.
Peterson also provides value as a returner if needed in an emergency, although he hasn’t done it for a couple seasons now. It doesn’t hurt that Peterson has (or had) ball-skills that nobody on this team has proven to have. He’s got experience in the NFC West. Peterson has also expressed that he’d be open to switching to safety if a coaching staff desired it. Overall, Peterson’s skillset even at this age is something that any team would want in their secondary, and it’s something that the young players in this secondary would benefit tremendously from seeing on a daily basis.
Another option that carries similar traits and would bring something similar to the table - CB Kyle Fuller.
EDGE Kerry Hyder Jr
Hyder didn’t produce for the Seahawks in the way that he did for the 49ers in 2020, but that’s exactly why you’d bring him in - weakening a divisional opponent and strengthening yourself. Even with some of his production coming unblocked in 2020, Hyder was one of the best players on this defense, and it’s likely that under Kris Kocurek, he’d reacquire that form for the 49ers as a rotational edge rusher. Hyder knows that he’s at his best under Kocurek in this system, and the 49ers know he’s one of the best remaining fits as a rotational edge on the market - not to mention, he’s affordable. No-brainer.
Even with the 49ers addressing special teams and the CB room, work remains if the 49ers are to field a better team than they did in 2021 (which to be fair, is hard to do). The above moves would be a great start.