49ers sign Mike Person to three-year, $9 million extension

Posted By on March 3, 2019

San Francisco 49ers offensive guard Mike Person during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

The 49ers don’t need to draft a starting right guard anymore.

They just re-signed their starter from last season, Mike Person, to a the three-year, $9 million contract extension, with $3 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Person will earn more than $3 million next season, and backup guard Joshua Garnett will earn more than $1.7 million. So the 49ers probably won’t sign another guard or draft an offensive lineman until Day 3 of the upcoming draft, if they draft one at all. Which means the 49ers will bring back the same starting five offensive linemen who gave up 125 quarterback hits last season — second most in the league.

Do you like this signing? And which Day-3 offensive lineman do you think the 49ers should draft?

This article has 32 Comments

  1. Good move. Continuity and he backs up Richburg. Day 3 best of the best of what’s left in the 4th would probably be Bobby Evans, OT, OK.

    1. In my dreams it’s still the same.
      The Cardinals draft Kyler Murray
      In my dreams Arizona
      Doesn’t draft Nick Bosa

  3. They were going to bring a vet OG in regardless, and Person is as suitable at that price tag as anyone else they would have gotten.

    I don’t think this should impact whether they take an OL before day 3 though. I would still be looking at a day 2 OL. If nothing else they need a better backup centre/ OG on game days, and ideally they would beat out Person for the starting spot.

    1. I really don’t see an OL in round 3 that’s going to be capable of beating out Person, but who knows. I think they’d have to do it in round 2, ideally with a trade down. I still believe that 2nd rounder is a wr, either Ridley, Samuel or A.J.

    2. Scooter:
      * Your opinion of KC free agent Center Mitch Morse, to back up W. Richberg (If injured). 9ers could sign him for ~$2 – $3 Mil P/Y (due to injuries the past 2 years).
      * With ~$66 Mil Salary Cap, the 9ers can afford to sign players that help win now. Then use their 6 draft picks for EDGE, CB, FS O-Line, ILB and a WR.

  4. “They just re-signed … Mike Person, to a the three-year, $9 million contract extension.”

    “The 49ers don’t need to draft a starting right guard anymore.”

    The second quote is not a logical conclusion of the first. Person is to player quality as the Bengals are to team quality.

    What this might mean is that the Niners are extremely unlikely to trade out of their #2 spot, regardless of what’s offered. And perhaps they won’t be expecting to sign many if any free agents.

  5. Person buys draft day flexibility. The less roster holes, the easier it is to take BPA or trade offers.

  6. “Which means the 49ers will bring back the same starting five offensive linemen who gave up 125 quarterback hits last season — second most in the league.”

    How’s that saying go? “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

    Jimmy G. should hire a smart lawyer and sue the Niners for negligence (or conspiracy to commit great bodily harm). And Bill Belichek for putting his career grievously at risk with that trade.

    1. Let’s not forget that a lot of those hits were due to backup level QB’s holding the ball far too long.

      And Person’s 3 year – $9M, with $3M guaranteed is closer to backup money, than starter money, isn’t it? It’s certainly much less than Laken got, so I don’t know why it would exclude the 49ers from addressing the interior of their OL during the draft, or free agency?

      My gosh, the Jags just inked OG Andrew Norwell to $41.5M over 3 years, didn’t they? And that was before this year’s salary cap increase. $9M over 3 years, with a paltry $3M in guaranteed money is peanuts for a starting OG, isn’t it Grant?

      1. Well …. what do you know? 103 votes and counting, makes Nick Bosa the consensus pick for the Niners at #2 in your latest pole, outpacing Josh Allen by a little, but far outpacing the both a trade down scenario, or the big DT – Q. Williams.

  7. The Cardinals draft Murray, and the 49ers draft Bosa. Easiest 1st round prediction since Buckner. Now all we have to do is figure out who the next five will be. A modest trade down at the top of round 2 wouldn’t surprise me.

  8. I wish to admit a mistake. I assumed 6 WRs would be chosen in the first round. The impressive defensive showing in the Combine today is making me reconsider, and they still have the DBs to measure.
    .
    Now, there may only be 4 WRs taken in the first round. The defense is deep in speed and talent.
    .
    There may be first round talent deep into the second round, which makes trading back all the more important.

  9. A good signing for a lot of reasons. I would 1st like to see the contract structure. I bet the actual real money is 2 years max, maybe even just one year. They will probably still bring in a young developmental C/G to take the place of Magnuson. And worse case scenario, if he is not starting, he is active on game day to be the 2nd center, the third guard, and the 4th tackle. Not a bad investment.

  10. Same scenario as last year when they signed Kilgore to a backup level contract. They secured a steady center as “plan B” and went in to free agency looking for an upgrade, but with less desperation because they had Kilgore as a safety net. They ultimately signed Richburg and jettisoned Kilgore.

    Same idea with Person. He’s solid, and $3M/year is backup money. Could be a backup for many spots along the line, and a starter in a pinch. But this contract in no way inhibits their ability to upgrade the starting o-line. Having Person in fold just gives them more options.

    1. Good point. Person gives them options, just like Kilgore. They traded away Kilgore, so maybe they will do the same thing with Person, if they find a needy team.

  11. Do I like the signing? Yes, because the Niners are spending their salary cap. Do I like the player? Not really. Person is mediocre, with mediocre stats. However, I agree with Razor, and think the continuity factor is a strong reason to bring him back, They still could seek to improve the line.
    .
    If they trade back and accumulate picks, I hope they draft Elgton Jenkins, who could play all along the line and may be the heir apparent to Staley. Erik McCoy may be another interior option that gives them flexibility.
    .
    Who would I like as a third day O Lineman? Oli Udoh, but he may go a lot sooner.
    Joshua Miles seems raw, but with a lot of potential.

    1. While PFF isn’t the definitive rating and ranking system for players; it is a good indicator. Person graded out as above average to good and as the #18 Guard. Even if he’s not that good, $3M a year and $3M guaranteed seems like a good deal for the 49ers to me.

      1. Like some have said, the replacement QBs held onto the ball too long. However, I also saw the pass rushers collapsing the pocket, with both the guards and the center being weak. Even McGlinchey and Staley gave up pressures, so I hope they improve the pass protection.
        .
        I agree. They did not spend much, so it is a good deal.
        .
        I hope a later round O linemen will become available to the Niners in the draft, because even with Person signing, I hope they keep looking to improve.

        1. I think all the starting caliber offensive lineman will be gone by the middle of round 2.

          1. The crux of the matter is to find those diamonds in the rough in the later rounds.

  12. Stats should always be regarded in context.

    Much of the 125 QB hits are a result of slow decision making by back up QBs C.J. BeatHard and to a lesser extent Nick Mullens. An additional contributing factor was rookie Mike McGlinchey learning to pass block at the professional level (which hopefully he’ll improve upon). A quicker trigger QB can do a lot for an O-line’s performance.

    1. Jimmy Garoppolo got sacked 13 times and hit 22 times during his three starts.

      1. Jimmy played like a back up QB during those starts too. An offseason with the complete playbook didn’t help him. He did better in 2017 when they streamlined the offense and put in plays/concepts he was already familiar with. It was almost as if Garappolo was playing like: see (or think he sees) open receiver = throw the ball…which looked like some quick trigger action….but also some really bad forced passes at times.

        Hopefully 2 full off seasons to soak up the playbook will help Garappolo improve.

        Better QB play will help the O-line.

        1. I think the coaching did not help, either. KS should have realized that Zimmer was going to blitz like crazy, and designed Patriot styled plays with quick passes, instead of long developing plays.
          .
          Detroit had coverage sacks, so KS should have incorporated some RB swing passes as outlet valves.
          .
          In the KC game, the Niners fell behind early, so were forced to pass, which made defending against the Niners, easier.
          .
          No matter what, the Niners should have been less predictable, and more resilient. They should have made astute assessments and quick adjustments. Better preparations would have helped the players finish games.

  13. Good signing. Gives them flexibility for the draft and hey, he’s less expensive than the kicker so that’s a plus.

  15. They also put Kyler Murray at 23, and now he may be the first pick in the draft.

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