How do you grade 49ers free agent addition Pierre Garçon?

The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up the 2017 season and have begun their work to prepare for 2018 free agency and the draft. We’ll be breaking down plenty of what that means, but in the meantime, we wanted to take a look back at the season that was for the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo capture our imagination, but the 49ers rebuilding process was extensive last year. We are going to take a look at every notable addition and provide a forum for grading how that signing, trade, or draft pick worked out.

Pierre Garçon, wide receiver
How acquired: Signed five-year, $47.5 million contract

Garçon was the big free agent addition by the 49ers this offseason, and he actually played quite well. Garçon was notable for several big toe-tapping catches on the sidelines. His vision and awareness of where every inch of his body is while going up for a catch is second to none. You could call him “clutch.”

Unfortunately, you can also call him “injured” and “getting up there in years.” Garçon only played in eight games, catching 40 passes for 500 yards before he went down for the remainder of the season. This means he never got a chance to catch passes from Jimmy Garoppolo, which is something unfortunate I would never wish on anyone.

Garçon is making a lot of money, make no mistake. He’s basically earning $23 million over the first two years of the deal, but his $12 million signing bonus is prorated over the five years. He’s being paid like a No. 1 receiver, but the contract’s final three years are option years.

Ultimately, I think Garçon is worth the money, provided the 49ers feel positive about his recovery. With Garçon and Goodwin, the 49ers have a strong starting group of receivers, and Trent Taylor seems to be finding success in the slot. You could argue that the 49ers need a true elite, showstopping wide receiver, but with other, bigger needs, I think Garçon is a great guy to keep around in 2018.