The San Francisco 49ers have traded center Daniel Kilgore to the Miami Dolphins, the team announced on Thursday. Kilgore was just signed to a contract extension before free agency opened, and now will ride out that extension with the Dolphins. The compensation is a swap of seventh-round picks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
“On behalf of the entire organization I want to thank Dan for everything he contributed to this team and the Bay Area community over the last seven seasons,” said General Manager John Lynch. “When Kyle and I arrived last offseason, we knew right away that he was a well-respected leader in the locker room and a true professional. We are pleased to be able to help find Dan a great situation to be able to continue his career, and we wish him and his wife, Megan, the very best.”
Well this is ... a surprising move. After the 49ers signed Weston Richburg, a better center than Kilgore, most figured the 49ers would flip Kilgore back to one of the guard positions, as that is a definite need of the team. The national media was asking whether or not Richburg would play center or move to left guard, his original position.
Now it’s pretty clear that Richburg will play center. The 49ers still have a need at guard, though I don’t know if they plan on spending much more on this free agent class. They have the funds to, but who knows given this move?
Kilgore, notably, had a fan in Jimmy Garoppolo and a friend in Joe Staley, the veteran left tackle who the 49ers say deserves perhaps a bit of a pay raise.