For the first time in recent memory, the 49ers have been one of the most active teams during the NFL’s free agency period.
The decision to be aggressive was less of a choice and more of a necessity for new general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who inherited a largely talentless roster with holes at nearly every position, and a ton of money that former GM Trent Baalke sat on for the past two off seasons.
The question is, did they spend that money wisely? According to ESPN’s Mike Sando, the answer is no.
Despite the positive perception of many of the signings by media and fans throughout the Bay Area, Sando gave the 49ers a D+ grade in free agency, and ranked them fifth worst amongst all teams in the NFL. Sando’s main point is that the 49ers overpaid for a number of players at positions that he does not consider to be extremely important.
Via ESPN:
Garcon was a quality addition and logical player for new coach Kyle Shanahan to install as a leader. Hoyer may or may not be better than Colin Kaepernick. Beyond that, the 49ers paid premium prices at nonpremium positions when they added (Malcolm) Smith and (Kyle) Juszczyk. They loaded up on veterans costing between roughly $1 million and $3 million — players comparable to what a team might find in the draft at lower cost. The 49ers are different. Are they better?
In all the 49ers spent over $147 million ($65 guaranteed) on 13 players. Sando is fair to question both the signings of Smith and Juszczyk. Smith was ranked as the 67th best linebacker in the league by Pro Football Focus last year, and hasn’t received an above average grade since 2013. The 49ers signed Smith to a five-year $26.5 million contract with $11.5 guaranteed, a head-scratching number for a non-pass rushing outside linebacker that has also struggled in coverage.
Juszczyk is considered the best fullback in football, and plays a position utilized in Shanahan’s offense, but a four-year, $21 million ($9.75 guaranteed) contract for a player who will be on the field for less than half of the offensive snaps is a bit curious.
The counter argument is that Shanahan targeted specific players that he believes will work in his system, and who will prove to be more valuable than they are when evaluated in a vacuum. Also, the 49ers have been so bad in recent years that overpaying for players in free agency is a necessity, and with the amount of money the team has to spend, probably doesn’t matter as much as it would with other teams.
Whether or not these signings prove to be ill-advised or not will reveal itself in the next few seasons. At this point Shanahan and Lynch have the benefit of the doubt, but if players like Smith and Juszczyk don’t live up to their surprisingly expensive contracts, it will not reflect well upon the new 49ers regime.