It has been nearly two weeks since the Baltimore Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, still no team has been linked to talks with the 2019 NFL MVP.
The San Francisco 49ers should be inquiring what it would take to bring Jackson to the Bay Area.
It has been nearly 25 years since the 49ers had an MVP caliber quarterback leading their team. The time since the organization last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy has been even longer.
A franchise quarterback has been the one missing ingredient for the 49ers since the 20 year run of Joe Montana and Steve Young ended on a Monday night in Arizona. Jeff Garcia came close, being named to the Pro Bowl on three occasions.
No 49ers quarterback has been named to the Pro Bowl roster since 2002.
Adding Jackson to the mix would propel what many experts consider one of the most talented rosters in the league to the top of the NFC.
During the 49ers end of season press conference in early February, Kyle Shanahan showed belief in Trey Lance and Brock Purdy.
“I know we have two starters on our team right now that I believe we can win with, so when you have that situation, you’re not that eager to go looking around,” said Shanahan.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, neither Lance nor Purdy is currently healthy. Lance has suffered three injuries in two seasons with San Francisco. Purdy’s status for 2023 is unknown after undergoing surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow.
Without a first round pick this season due to the 2021 trade to move up and draft Trey Lance, acquiring Jackson would require creativity on the part of the 49ers.
The only option for San Francisco is to have Jackson sign the franchise tag and then work with Baltimore on terms of a trade.
The 49ers recently received seven compensatory picks in this years draft, and with the start of the new league year on Wednesday can use their 2024 first round pick as part of a package.
Would Baltimore be interested in a third this year, next year’s first rounder and Trey Lance? If not, how about a third this year and Nick Bosa?
With regards to the salary cap, the 49ers could make it work.
They currently have about $7 million in cap space available and could free up another $40 million by reworking a few veteran contracts.
Adding Jackson to the roster would take roughly $9 million in 2023, and $15 million in 2024. Restructuring to push cap out is something the 49ers did on a regular basis with both Young and Garcia during the early years of the cap.
The 49ers have shown in the past they will do their due diligence on almost every possibility. One they didn’t was Patrick Mahomes in 2017. They owe it to themselves to do it with Jackson.
49ers sign Jon Feliciano, bring back Ross Dwelley on one-year deal
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the 49ers have signed offensive lineman Jon Feliciano to a one-year deal.
Originally selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Feliciano has started 54 games over his eight year career.
Feliciano has shown the ability to play across the interior of the offensive line. He made 25 starts at right guard for Buffalo from 2019-2020 then slid over to the left side in 2021. For 2022 he followed Brian Daboll from Buffalo to the New York Giants where he made 15 starts at center.
This addition could foreshadow a position change for Spencer Burford. Burford played tackle in college and could be an option to slide out to right tackle to replace Mike McGlinchey.
Since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Ross Dwelley has appeared in 72 games and registered 43 receptions for 506 yards and five touchdowns. He has also appeared in seven postseason contests. Last season, Dwelley appeared in 12 games and finished with three receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown.
Additions
DT Javon Hargrave (Eagles: Four years, $84 million, $40 million guaranteed at signing)
QB Sam Darnold (Panthers: One-year, $4.5 million. Potential for up to $11.5 million with incentives)
DL Clelin Ferrell (Raiders: One-year, $2.5 million, $1.82 million guaranteed at signing)
DB Isaiah Oliver (Falcons: Two years, terms not disclosed)
DB Myles Hartsfield (Panthers: One year, terms not disclosed)
OL Jon Feliciano (Giants: One year, terms not disclosed)
Re-Signed
TE Ross Dwelley (One-year, terms not disclosed)
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (One-year, $1.835 million, $1.25 million fully guaranteed)
DL T.Y. McGill (One-year, terms not disclosed)
C Jake Brendel (Four years, $8 million guaranteed, max value of $20 million)
S Tashaun Gipson (One-year, $2.9 million)
OL Colton McKivitz (Two years, $4.56 million, $2.87 million guaranteed, $1.87 million guaranteed at signing)
DL Kevin Givens (One-year, $2 million, fully guaranteed)
LS Taybor Pepper (Three years, $3.96 million, $1.5 million fully guaranteed)
Losses
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (Raiders: Three years, $72.75 million, $33.75 guaranteed at signing)
OT Mike McGlinchey (Broncos: Five-years, $87.5 million, $17.5 million signing bonus, $52.5 million guaranteed)
DT Hassan Ridgeway (Texans: One-year, up to $4 million, $3 million guaranteed at signing)
FS Jimmie Ward (Texans: Two years, $13 million, $8.5 million fully guaranteed at signing)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (Lions: One-year, $6 million)
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (Titans: One year, worth up to $6 million, $4.25 million guaranteed)
DE Samson Ebukam (Colts: Three years, $24 million with $10.755 guaranteed)
OL Daniel Brunskill (Titans: Two years, $5.5 million with $1.5 million guaranteed)
DE Charles Omenihu (Chiefs: Two years, $20 million, $8.6 million guaranteed)
S Tarvarius Moore (Packers: one year, terms were not disclosed)
DT Maurice Hurst (Browns: one year, terms were not disclosed)
Pending Free Agents
K Robbie Gould
DE Kerry Hyder
TE Tyler Kroft
QB Josh Johnson
DE Jordan Willis
CB Jason Verrett
Depth Chart
Here is how I see the 49ers depth chart at this time. I will update this throughout the offseason and training camp. Players with new contracts will be in bold.
| Offense | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 |
| Quarterback | Brock Purdy | Trey Lance | Sam Darnold | |
| Running Back | Christian McCaffrey | Elijah Mitchell | Jordan Mason | Ty Davis-Price |
| Fullback | Kyle Juszczyk | |||
| LWR | Brandon Aiyuk | Danny Gray | ||
| RWR | Deebo Samuel | Jauan Jennings | Ray-Ray McCloud | |
| TE | George Kittle | Charlie Woerner | Ross Dwelley | |
| Left Tackle | Trent Williams | |||
| Left Guard | Aaron Banks | |||
| Center | Jake Brendel | Nick Zakelj | ||
| Right Guard | Spencer Burford | Jon Feliciano | ||
| Right Tackle | Colton McKivitz | Jaylon Moore |
| Defense | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| LDE | Drake Jackson | Clelin Ferrell | |
| LDT | Javon Hargrave | Javon Kinlaw | T.Y. McGill |
| RDT | Arik Armstead | Kevin Givens | Kalia Davis |
| RDE | Nick Bosa | ||
| WLB | Dre Greenlaw | Oren Burks | |
| MLB | Fred Warner | Marcelino McCray-Ball | |
| SLB | Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles | ||
| LCB | Deommodore Lenoir | Ambry Thomas | |
| SS | Talanoa Hufanga | Myles Hartsfield | |
| FS | Tashaun Gipson | George Odum | |
| RCB | Charvarius Ward | ||
| NB | Isaiah Oliver | Samuel Womack | |
| Special Teams | Player 1 | |||||
| Kicker | ||||||
| Punter | Mitch Wishnowsky | |||||
| Long Snapper |
Taybor Pepper
|
|||||
| Reserves | ||||||
| Alfredo Gutierrez (OL) | Curtis Robinson (LB) | Alex Barrett (DE) | Jason Poe (OL) | A.J. Parker (CB) | ||
| Qwuantrezz Knight (DB) | Tayler Hawkins (S) | Keith Ismael (OC) | Leroy Watson (OL) | Tay Martin (WR) | ||
| Dazz Newsome (WR) | Tyron Johnson (WR) | Tre Swilling (CB) | ||||
49ers sign John Felicano G/C. Sounds like the next Brunskill offensive line Swiss army knife.
That’s what it sounds like. Just like that, the Lord taketh and the Lord giveth, even in football.
Yeah, but when the 49ers got Brunkskill, he was younger (1st or 2nd year) and presumably had more upside than Feliciano. Still it’s nice to have some experience and versatility back on the team.
Ah, life, it ain’t perfect. Maybe they’ll find the next Brunskill in the draft.
I love Jackson and would love to have him under center for the 9ers. I just don’t see any way they can afford him. Trading Bosa could free up enough cap space but I wouldn’t trade Bosa unless we were getting back a treasure trove of draft picks including a top 4-6 pick this year. As to Dwelley’s signing he is a good possession receiver but a terrible blocker. I wonder if this means they wont be drafting a TE with one of their 3rd round picks?
Lol…like Cohn….doubling down! I thought you’d know that you can’t just plug and play a QB into a team….especially one that isn’t a “pure” passer. The more schemed up a player; the harder it will be to replicate the same production elsewhere. I mean sure, Lamar is a great talent. Jackson wants a new contract. But he isn’t worth $200M+ that Jackson is going to require….you seemed to have skipped that part of the analysis. I do not know how you got your $9M and $15M numbers. He’s currently signed for one year (franchise tag) for $32M.
OLD COACH MUST BE REALLY OLD + DEMENTED WITH A REALLY STUPID
COMMENT LIKE THAT LOL
Johnny, you’re not helping yourself very much here.
Jackson is an explosive player but is not a great passer and his numbers have been declining since his one great season in 2019. Add in the fact it would take a fully guaranteed deal to get him away from the Ravens and that is a resounding no for me. They have made it to the last two NFC Championships with an injured JG and a rookie 7th round pick. The reason they were able to do that is Shanahan’s system and great defense. You add Jackson at the expense of Bosa and more draft picks and this team becomes much like Baltimore: Lot of fun and exciting plays and no playoff wins.
Jackson has been a top 10 passer from inside the pocket since 2019.
https://twitter.com/JackHammer_NFL/status/1634693943937097728?s=20
And what kind of pocket plays were those? Pure drop back full field read plays? Or Roman “manufactured” pass play action and RPOs? Yeah, Shanahan runs lots of play action. But you don’t need to spend $200M on a guy to specialize in throwing play action and RPOs.
Takeout that one good year he had in 2019 and he’s well out of the top 10.
Lamar Jackson- not at all a good fit for the 49ers unless they get him dirt cheap
not sure he would even make the team over the QBs they already have
Well if that is the criteria you are basing this idea on why don’t we just trade for Tannehill and save some money? Lamar Jackson has been in the league for 5 years. We know what he is. Run first QB who has missed a third of the past two seasons due to injury and wants to be guaranteed an obscene amount of money. Great talent, not a great QB. No chance the 9ers would do this anyway but I just don’t get the interest in it to begin with.
Bosa or Jackson, that’s your choice. Devil’s choice really, because both will eventually blow up the roster having to pay their salaries. At this point I would bet on Bosa being healthier and more productive, especially with Shanahan’s inability to keep any QB on the field for more that 7-8 games before breaking them. The only QB worth the absurd amount that the top ones are being paid is Mahomes. He is the first to finally break the 13% barrier, being the first to earn more than 13% of the salary cap all by himself and still lead his team to a Super Bowl. It is extremely questionable whether Lamar Jackson would be good enough to lead a team to the SB while making some $40 mill (or more) a year.
Rumors are flying that the 49ers are in the market to trade for Hunter Renfrow. I would love for the 9ers to trade one of their 3rd round picks then turn around and trade Deebo for a 1st and another pick. They could then draft a RT with that pick. Deebo became slightly redundant when the 49ers acquired CMC and shedding Deebo’s salary would really help with the cap. I would love to see the 9ers use Mitchell and Mason more this year, giving CMC less carries and using him more in motion and in the slot.
You sure come up with some crazy ideas. I’m not sure crazy is the right word.
Felix,
If there is any validity to the rumor do you think the 49ers would just add another WR to an already crowded WR room or would they be trading so they could then trade one of their WRs? I believe the latter. Renfrow is a very good traditional slot receiver, Deebo is the current slot receiver. I think purely as a receiver Renfrow is better than Deebo, Deebo’s value is as a Swiss army knife. If they could acquire Renfrow he could replace Deebo while CMC takes the Swiss army knife role.
I believe that this scenario is about the only one where the 9ers could get a 1st round RT. I hope they are not going into next season with a draft pick or McKivitz at RT. It could spell disaster for our 3 QBs.
Who started the rumor? You?
Felix,
Larry Krueger and one of the guys on the NFL network later in the afternoon.
Oh also Chat Sports
Deebo played under 3 QBs, and 4 if we throw in Josh Johnson’s mini stint. At no time did I see Samuels lagging and take plays off.
If Deebo is a locker room liability and sulking on the sidelines, I would be inclined to trade him, but he’s not any of these things.
Plus, what 1st rd (if the 49ers trade Deebo) pick would make the kind of impact that Deebo has made?
I would rather keep a sure-fire star player then hoping to find one in the draft. Didn’t we learn anything from the Buckner to Kinlaw situation?
Shanahan has demonstrated many times how he values Swiss army knifes. The more the better. Deebo is not going anywhere.
AES,
I am a big Deebo fan. I think the biggest need the 49ers have is at RT. I think the 49ers have enough weapons on O that they can survive losing Deebo. I really like Mitchell (hopefully he can stay healthy) and Mason and think you can give them some of CMCs carries without there being a let down. By giving some of CMCs runs up you can use him more in Deebo’s role. I really like Renfrow. Lastly if you think the 9ers need an upgrade at RT and believe the best way to do that is to use a 1st round draft pick, you have to make a trade. I think on O these are the players you can trade for a 1st round pick, Kittle, Aiyuk, Deebo and CMC. Since the whole scenario begins with trading for a slot receiver Deebo just fits. Who else would you trade for a 1st round pick this year?
Coach,
I’m just leery about trading off great players for unproven rookies. Plus, whether the 49ers trade a Kittle, Deebo or Aiyuk to get a 1st pick, that pick would need to produce immediately.
Trading core players for a blue chip rookie(s) is to much of a gamble and a recipe for years of regret should the rookie fail. I would like to find a link that shows how many teams have been consistent winners after making this type of deal.
The Colts and the 49ers made this type of deal a few years ago and Kinlaw has been a disappointment and Buckner has not been able to get the Colts over the top so far.
I just don’t think Deebo would be that big of a loss. The plays that he makes would be replaced by Renfrow and CMC. Its not that I think Deebo isn’t good its just that there are only so many balls that you can spread around. The real reason I would make this move is going into the season with McKivitz starting at RT and Moore being our swing tackle scares the hell out of me. I worry that we will go thru 4 QBs again. There is risk in any trade or signing, they just have to trust their scouting dept. and OT is the position with the highest rate of success in the first round. Anyways its all conjecture if the 9ers don’t trade for Renfrow and there may be many teams out there who have better draft capital to trade with.
OldCoach I respect your opinion but I can’t agree with trading Deebo. Shanahan has been trying to find players like Deebo his whole career and would probably like more of them not less. CMC is a nice addition but there is no replacement for what Deebo can do for this team. CMC has also had a number of injury problems so the Niners would be putting themselves in serious jeopardy if they traded Deebo and CMC got hurt again. I understand the concern with RT, but honestly McGlinchey isn’t and never has been a good pass protector so the drop from him to McKivitz or someone else (they could still wind up signing a vet) wouldn’t be that great imo.) Let’s also keep in mind that this team went to the NFCCG with Tom Compton starting at RT for a large portion of 2021. I wouldn’t sweat it too much right now. There is a lot of time to figure it out without parting with one of the best offensive weapons in football.
Coach, this is interesting. Unlike some, I don’t think it would be crazy to trade Deebo. Of course he’s very good, but he’s also look-at-me with injury issues, and CMC is a better all around player who can be used in the same way, a model locker room guy, and currently costs much less. I would say CMC has a good chance to make the Hall of Fame.
Regarding drafting a RT if we got a 1st, do you have your eye on anyone you think could start?
George,
Not yet. I mostly have been looking at late 3rd round guys. One interesting fact is 1st round OTs have the lowest failure rate of any position in football. At least that was true a few years ago when I read an article on the failure rates by position of 1st round picks.
RUMORS FLYING? bullish!! there is no hunter renfrow discussion on trade. manpon!!!!
Larry Krueger, chat sports (raiders site) NFL network
I don’t get Jack’s Fascination with Jackson. Nobody is interested in a guy who is only available for half the games due to injury, nor does anyone want to pay the kind of money he wants much less the 2 1st rd picks. My guess is that Baltimore wouldn’t mind someone matching the offer. Shanahan and Lynch are just too smart to want this guy.
This is why you’re not a GM….Keep writing articles. Just make them better next time! Nobody wants to trade away the defensive mvp dummy!
Jon Feliciano film review (13 min video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4Buu_vElE
Just a guess, but he doesn’t look like a backup.
yes
I would trade Bosa for Lamar Jackson in a heartbeat
lol- bayarealoonytoon
Forget Lamar Jackson. The 49ers need to take a run at Al Woods.
My early 3rd round 49er mock draft
#99 OT Blake Freeland BYU or OT Tyler Steen Bama
#101 Edge Zach Harrison Ohio St. or Edge Brenton Cox Fla or Edge Byron Young Tenn
#102 S Sydney Brown Ill or S Jordan Battle Bama
Freeland is a name that keeps being tied to the 49ers. I really like his athleticism.
Due to salary cap issues I don’t see 49ers in play for Lamar. A GM has to plan ahead for that kind of contract.
But as sports media speculates about the draftable QBs I find it odd how much of a priority folks put on Bryce’s height and weight; although it might just be a media thing.
Bryce @ 5-10.5 / 204 lbs. compared to Joe Montana @ 6-2 / 205 lbs. Joe was same weight but 3.5 inches taller so Joe had a slighter build than Bryce. Joe did alright. An unnamed scout back in the day said Montana locked on his primary receiver too long and forced the ball into traffic. That scout said Joe might be a starter some day but rated him a sixth or seventh round talent. So I’m guessing some teams may be sorry they passed on Bryce Young. 🤷♂️
Jack has tweeted that it’s been reported that Jackson is ready to move on from the Ravens. My guess is that’s it’s mutual. I pity the poor team that coughs up the picks and the dollars for this guy.
If no one offers him a massive guaranteed contract he will have no choice but to play for the Ravens and he really should just stay in Baltimore. They have built an offense he excels in and have offered him a reasonable amount of money befitting one of the top QB’s in the league.
FL49er,
I think his issue is with the guaranteed money. A contract isn’t worth much if its not guaranteed.
I was wrong his contract offer is fully guaranteed. His problem is the length of the contract. They are offering 3 years he wants 4 or more.
Forget Jackson. Costs too much and although he is a very good runner, that trait tends to get you hurt.
Teach Trey to be a pocket passer who can scramble (Like Steve) or go with Brock and take all the money
you didn’t spend on Lamar and get a world class offensive line, bone crunching ball hawk of a safety or
a top edge rusher. Watch Lamar get traded to a desperate team for a crippling fortune, then get injured in week 7, stumble through the season and start over. He’s not that accurate as well.