Report: 49ers trying to lockdown 3 key free agents before negotiating period begins

With a tightened salary cap situation, this year’s NFL free agency should be an eventful one. The San Francisco 49ers have made a few moves before the start of the new league year on Wednesday by re-signing cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and restructuring center Weston Richburg’s contract.

The Niners still have lots of work to do, including trying to re-sign three key free agents before they can start negotiating with other NFL teams on Monday. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport touched on where things stand with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, left tackle Trent Williams and cornerback Jason Verrett.

On Juszczyk:

“They expect to get the deal done at some point (Sunday). We expect Juszczyk to remain in San Francisco when that deal gets finalized.”

It’s not surprising to hear the two parties are close to getting things done. General manager John Lynch tweeted this out late Saturday:

On Williams:

“The left tackle they traded for last year became a Pro Bowler and might have had the best season of his career. They want to bring him in. That’s going to be big dollars but he has yet to accept their deal. We will see if he ends up getting to free agency, or if they can finalize it (Sunday).”

Lynch and co. need to do everything they can to get Williams to sign on the dotted line before Monday’s negotiating period. The All-Pro left tackle could get some massive offers from teams flush with cap space like the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and New York Jets.

Williams will likely command top-dollar given his accomplishments. David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers is currently the highest-paid left tackle in the league with an AAV of $23 million. Laremy Tunsil of the Houston Texans is next at $22 million per season.

The good news is that Williams made it clear that he wants to compete for a Super Bowl, and the 49ers should be in contention with a healthy roster next season. He made it clear during his season-ending media availability that he won’t take too much of a hometown discount but loves playing for the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

On Verrett:

“One of the coolest stories in the NFL. Comeback story for a player who spent most of his career injured. He had a resurgent year last year. There’s an attempt by the 49ers to keep him there. We will see if they’re able to lock in all three of those before business starts (Monday).”

Verrett was a pleasant surprise for a San Francisco team that was decimated by injuries last season. The 29-year-old started 13 games in 2020, finishing with 60 tackles and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus gave Verrett an overall grade of 77.6, the eighth-highest out of all NFL corners.

With Moseley re-signed, the Niners could have two of their starting cornerback spots locked down by reaching a deal with Verrett. The focus would then shift to re-signing slot corner K’Waun Williams.

Over the Cap currently has the 49ers with a little less than $31 million in cap space heading into the negotiating period.

What do you think would be a fair contract for Verrett?