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It was quite the weekend for former San Francisco 49ers RB Frank Gore, who found the end zone and saw his son do the same the day before.
Look at Frank Gore Jr pic.twitter.com/BDrwJ5s9No
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) November 21, 2020
SF 49ers’ inaction on Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract is telling
When the Niners inked Garoppolo to a five-year, $137.5 million contract entering 2018, the deal essentially committed the team to the quarterback for three years, the final two of the contract having zero in guaranteed money. This is yet another example of the shrewd, team-friendly kind of deals San Francisco is known for making.
Evaluating the contract is nothing new. The SF 49ers can get out from underneath Garoppolo next offseason, either via a straight cut or a trade (Garoppolo would have to waive his no-trade clause in 2021, which basically means he’d have to want to go to the destination where he’d be traded), which would generate $24.1 million in cap savings out of the $26.9 million scheduled to be paid to him.
But that’s not the evidence suggesting the Niners are going to move on from their quarterback in 2021.
“How could you not be excited about your receivers,” Simms told NBC Sports Bay Area. “You got two stars in (Brandon) Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. It’s Shanahan, you know the offensive line and the running games are going to be good.
“Man how could you not be excited about how the defensive line looks now, let alone without Nick Bosa, they get him back next year, Javon Kinlaw he’s going in the right direction the right way, Kentavius Street, the guy that tears his ACL, you see him last week, he’s another beast to add to the defensive line.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently referred to Fred Warner as “possibly” the NFL’s top middle linebacker, and Simms also believes that position will be a strength for the 49ers going forward.
Ex-49er Frank Gore scores touchdown in third decade of long NFL career
Frank Gore’s amazing NFL career added another amazing milestone on Sunday, as the longtime 49ers tailback scored a touchdown for the New York Jets, marking the third decade in which Gore has found the end zone in his career.
Gore’s NFL odyssey began when he was a third-round pick of the 49ers back in 2005 out of the University of Miami. Over 10 seasons in San Francisco, Gore ran for 11,073 yards and 64 touchdowns.
Since leaving the 49ers after the 2014 season, Gore has played for the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Gore scored his first touchdown of the season for the Jets on Sunday, and has 447 yards rushing in his age-37 season.
This has only increased the speculation that Garoppolo will be gone and that there will be a rookie quarterback coming in April for Kyle Shanahan to groom. This is a move that makes complete sense when you consider the upcoming decrease in the salary cap and the 49ers need to fill more than 15 spots on their active roster for next season.
While the 49ers will likely draft their quarterback of the future on April 29, they should look to their past for a quarterback when free agency starts up on March 17.
That quarterback?
None other than Alex Smith.
Yes, that Alex Smith. Smith will turn 37 in May and almost assuredly become a free agent following this season. Washington has their quarterback of the future in Dwayne Haskins and can save $14.7 million in cap space by releasing the veteran.
CONS
1. Sherman can’t play man-to-man coverage at this stage of his career. He probably runs a 4.7 40-yard dash. He’s a liability when he has to cover deep crossing routes. So the 49ers don’t call much man-to-man coverage when Sherman is on the field.
2. Since Sherman has been on IR, the 49ers have used man-to-man coverage much more frequently and had success with it, because it allows them to blitz and take away the short, high-percentage throws.