The 49ers were lucky to “keep the band together” in 2021 but it won’t be so easy this time around.
Loss of revenue due to COVID-19 restrictions lowered the salary cap significantly in 2021. That allowed the club to re-sign several talented players to one-year contracts. Under normal circumstances, those players would have been able to demand pricier multi-year deals from other clubs.
Many of the 20 players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) will be leaving Santa Clara. On Thursday, the 49ers announced one-year deals with UFA Maurice Hurst and Exclusive Rights free agent (ERFA) Kevin Givens.
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But they won’t be able to keep everyone.
Even if the several key players that contributed to the team's success in 2021 want to stay with the club, they have likely priced themselves out of the 49ers' budget.
Here are four players that the 49ers want to keep but likely won’t return in 2022:
DL D.J. Jones
San Francisco 49ers
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In 2021 Jones signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal to stay with the 49ers after spending his first four seasons in San Francisco. The defensive tackle always has been talented at stopping the run and 2021 was his best season yet.
Jones was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and his fifth year was the first time the East Mississippi product did not miss a game. While clogging up the interior of the line, Jones racked up two quarterback sacks and notched a career-high 56 tackles (40 solo and 10 for a loss).
The talented interior lineman also registered three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and broke up one pass.
While at the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager John Lynch shared how important Jones has been to the team which will make it that much more difficult to keep him.
“If his objective is to stay here, he made it really hard,” Lynch said. “I do think it’s going to be challenging.”
OG Laken Tomlinson
The Duke alum is not just smart, he also is a talented lineman.
Tomlinson has grown into a valuable and reliable part of the 49ers' offense after his time with the Detroit Lions did not work out. The first-round draft pick has rarely missed a game and contributes to both the run game and pass protection.
“When you talk about consistency and durability he’s kind of the poster child for that,” Lynch said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s there every week. It’s a fun story. A first-round pick who had kind of hadn’t realized his talent for whatever reason.
“Laken came and adjusted. I think Laken really likes our culture and we like having him. We will make an effort to try to keep him.”
With a league that prioritizes protecting quarterbacks, the veteran guard will be offered high value contracts by multiple franchises.
S Jaquiski Tartt
The safety was one of the many players who returned on a team-friendly, one-year deal in 2021. Tartt was set to enter free agency after spending his first six seasons with San Francisco.
The second-round draft pick recorded a career-high 66 tackles (42 solo and 24 for a loss) in 2021. It was Tartt’s healthiest season to date as he appeared in all but three games due to a toe injury suffered in Week 7.
Tartt’s chemistry with long-time teammate Jimmie Ward is undeniable. The two safeties met in high school and are considered the “old married couple” on the team. Ward was drafted by the 49ers in 2014 and Tartt the following season.
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While the 49ers would love to keep Tartt in the building, the club has to budget for the inevitable extensions of All Pro Deebo Samuel and star edge rusher Nick Bosa. The 49ers also are banking on the development of Talanoa Hufanga, who they drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
DB K’Waun Williams
Like Tartt and Jones, the nickel back staying with the 49ers on a one-year deal in 2021 was a result of the lower salary cap. Prior to Williams re-signing with the 49ers, most outside of the building believed he would reunite with Jets head coach Robert Saleh in New York.
Instead, Williams had a stand-out season playing his way into a multi-year deal the 49ers will likely be unable to afford. The seven-year veteran racked up 60 tackles (47 solo and five for a loss). Known by teammates as “the shark,” Williams also recorded one sack and four quarterback hits on a blitz package that was named after him.
The multi-talented defender is effective in coverage, a good run defender, and can pressure on the quarterback, making him a valuable addition to any roster.