The 49ers will lock in right tackle Mike McGlinchey for a fifth NFL season -- even before he takes the field for Year 4.
General manager John Lynch on Monday announced the club will pick up the fifth-year option on McGlinchey, meaning his scheduled salary of $10.88 million for the 2022 season will be fully guaranteed.
"We've talked with Mike's representative and we are going to pick up that fifth-year option," Lynch said. "I don’t know (when) exactly, I've been focused on the draft, but I have let them know that that our intention is to pick that fifth-year option up.”
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The deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year option on 2018 first-round draft picks is May 3.
McGlinchey, 29, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 draft, is coming off an up-and-down season. He rated as one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL as a run-blocker. And while his overall Pro Football Focus grade was good, he struggled in with a career-low grade in pass protection.
McGlinchey started all 16 games for the 49ers. In three NFL seasons, he has started all 47 regular-season and playoff games in which he has appeared. He missed four games in 2019 with a knee injury.
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The move seems to ensure that the 49ers will keep together their offensive tackles for the foreseeable future. The 49ers are likely to attempt to work out a long-term deal with McGlinchey beyond the 2022 season.
The 49ers spent big in the offseason to retain left tackle Trent Williams, an eight-time Pro Bowl player. The 49ers signed Williams to a six-year, $138.06 million contract, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league.