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As we near free agency, we’ll start to hear more rumblings about who the San Francisco 49ers could potentially be interested in once the negotiation period begins. Spotrac went through a couple of free agents for each team and came up with a “best guess” to see where each free agent would land.
San Francisco ended up re-signing Trent Williams in this hypothetical, whereas Richard Sherman took his talents to Lambeau Field. The 49ers landed three unrestricted free agents, all at positions of need. Let’s start with the most obvious connection, Alex Mack.
Mack remains an above average run blocker though he’s lost a step in his mid 30s. His experience will be attractive to teams like SF, BAL, ARZ who struggled in this regard.
BEST GUESS: San Francisco
It wouldn’t be Spotrac if they didn’t give out the contract information. In this scenario, the Niners land Mack on a 1-year, $5 million deal. We’d all sign up for Mack at that price. He’d serve as a nice stop-gap and allow the 49ers to let Daniel Brunskill develop at right guard.
As much of a bargain as Mack would be on the deal, Spotrac gives the Niners WR Breshad Perriman on a three-year, $26 million deal:
Statistically speaking, Perriman comps nicely to who John Brown was before joining Buffalo in an expanded role. Teams looking for complementary wideouts could see him as a nice low buy fit.
BEST GUESS: San Francisco
In 12 games with the Jets, Perriman remained a big-play threat as he averaged 16.8 yards per reception on 30 catches. Twenty of Perriman’s 30 receptions went for first downs. He’d be an intriguing piece in the 49ers offense, but you can find a Breshad Perriman type skillset with your comp pick after the third round or even with the Niners' fourth-round selection.
The final free agent is a K’Waun Williams replacement. The team adds Desmond King on a three-year, $18 million deal:
King’s had years that have popped off the page, but has seemingly been in decline the past two seasons, leaving his financial future a bit of a mystery. This lower pricetag could atttract decent teams looking to grab value from him.
BEST GUESS: San Francisco
In short: You can’t name something King does better than Williams. If they’re going to offer King this deal, give it to K’Waun. This past season with the Titans, King allowed 64% of his targets to be completed. With the Chargers, he allowed 72% of his passes to be completed. King is a slot-only player that’s limited to underneath zone coverage. That’s not a player you want to spend on during free agency.
How would you react to each of these signings?