Jaguars Expected To Hire 49ers’ Ethan Waugh As Assistant GM
The Jaguars are expected to hire a key 49ers executive to be Trent Baalke‘s right-hand man. Ex-Baalke 49ers lieutenant Ethan Waugh is on track to be the Jaguars’ next assistant GM, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets.
Baalke has offered Waugh the job, and Wagoner adds the former is expected to join Jacksonville’s front office after the draft. Waugh has been with the 49ers for 17 years, some of those coming during Baalke’s GM run in San Francisco.
Waugh works as the 49ers’ vice president of player personnel, being promoted earlier this offseason. He joined the 49ers as an assistant and became an area scout in 2008. Under Baalke’s leadership, Waugh rose to the title of senior personnel coordinator. Prior to his most recent promotion, Waugh served as the 49ers’ college scouting director.
An assistant GM bump will be a nice boost for Waugh, who will be a key player in helping craft the latest Jaguars rebuild effort. With Urban Meyer gone after less than a year, Baalke is leading the way here. It remains to be seen if the team’s Rick Spielman connections will produce a hire. Nothing has emerged on that front in several weeks. Spielman interviewed for an executive VP position that would outrank Baalke, but the former Vikings GM has not been hired. He later interviewed for the Steelers’ GM position. Waugh’s hire does not necessarily stonewall a Spielman addition, with a separate report indicating Shad Khan was looking to hire an exec to work above Baalke in addition to a key staffer below the GM level.
This will represent another personnel loss for the 49ers, who lost Martin Mayhew in 2021; Mayhew is now Washington’s GM. The 49ers have also seen Adam Peters and Ran Carthon receive GM interviews, though both remain on staff.
Latest On 49ers, Deebo Samuel
Although John Lynch said the 49ers had a Deebo Samuel extension budgeted, the team’s initial offer appears to be a key reason why the fourth-year wide receiver requested a trade.
Other factors are in play for Samuel, but ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline reports the 49ers opened talks with an offer worth less than $19MM per year. Believed to be targeting a deal in the $25MM AAV range, Samuel soon removed all things 49ers from his social media accounts. Then, his trade request became public.
Following the market-shifting Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill deals, 11 wide receivers earn more than $19MM annually now. Brandin Cooks just signed an extension worth more than $19MM per year. Given Samuel’s age and importance to a San Francisco offense that is likely to feature a new starting quarterback soon, it is understandable his camp has set a much higher baseline.
The 49ers are expected to exhaust every non-trade solution here, but Samuel’s desire to play closer to home is now surfacing as well. The South Carolina native and ex-Gamecock no longer wants to play in California, according to NBC Sports’ Chris Simms and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (video link). This certainly could also be a negotiating tactic from Samuel’s side, though the longstanding draft system that disperses prospects throughout the country certainly causes major adjustments for young players. Of course, this setup is not going away anytime soon.
Samuel, A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin are staying away from their respective teams’ offseason programs, as they strive for new contracts and/or trades. Some around the league do not expect Samuel’s next deal to match Brown’s, Pauline adds, though of this talented 2019 receiver class, only Samuel has earned an All-Pro nod. That came partially due to Samuel’s rushing production from his wideout position last season. That atypical workload has emerged as a reason for Samuel’s trade request, creating one of the more interesting situations in recent receiver history.
49ers Not Expected To Trade Deebo Samuel
Preparing to start the Trey Lance era, the 49ers are — as of now, at least — not planning to deal away their most versatile weapon. Deebo Samuel‘s trade request is not expected to lead to a deal, with The Athletic’s Connor Hughes noting the 49ers have “zero intention” of parting ways with the All-Pro weapon (Twitter link).
Employing former 49ers assistant Mike LaFleur as their offensive coordinator and having not exactly kept a secret they are chasing wide receivers, the Jets do not expect Samuel to be dealt — unless a team submits a monster offer — according to USA Today’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Gang Green has monitored Samuel’s market, along with D.K. Metcalf‘s, after striking out on wideouts earlier this offseason. No deal is imminent, though NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show this trade request occurred weeks ago (video link).
[RELATED: Samuel, Brown, McLaurin Won’t Participate In Offseason Programs]
The Jets have two top-10 picks, a low-cost quarterback and staffers familiar with Samuel’s talents; they would make sense as perhaps the lead suitor here. They were prepared to pay Tyreek Hill a top-market contract. Samuel, 26, is two years younger and coming off his first All-Pro campaign. A team parting with a stronger offer than what it took for the Dolphins to acquire Hill would likely be necessary here, Hughes adds.
The 49ers have eyed a Samuel extension for a while now, with John Lynch indicating in February such a deal has been budgeted. Removing Samuel from the 49ers’ first Lance-directed offense would create an immense challenge for Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco has Lance tied to a rookie deal, opening the door for Samuel and Nick Bosa re-ups. This regime did trade DeForest Buckner after intending to extend him, but Samuel has proven essential at a thinner position for the 49ers compared to their defensive line surplus at the time of the Buckner deal.
Samuel’s hesitancy about a 49ers extension does involve his increased usage as a running back, Pelissero adds. The 49ers gave the physical receiver 59 carries last season, tying Tavon Austin‘s 2017 output for the most by a wide receiver since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Samuel is the only player in NFL history to compile 1,400-plus receiving yards and 300-plus rushing yards in a season. Although Samuel averaged 6.2 yards per carry, concerns about wear and tear are understandable here. This is an issue the other teams with contract-year wideouts do not have to navigate and one of the more intriguing wrinkles affecting a player’s long-term future with a team to surface in a while.
49ers’ Deebo Samuel Requests Trade
Deebo Samuel wants out. On Wednesday, the wide receiver said that he has asked the 49ers for a trade (Twitter link via Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Jets Eyeing D. Samuel?]
Samuel declined to go into specifics, but this may have something to do with his contract. Samuel has reportedly asked the Niners for something in the range of $25MM/year, which would make him one of the highest-paid WRs in the league.
Samuel made his request known last week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). “Money is not at the root,” of his issues with the team, per RapSheet (on Twitter) — Samuel is also upset about how he has been used in the Niners’ offense.
The speculation around Samuel has been building for weeks, especially after he removed all mentions of the 49ers across social media. Meanwhile, the Niners’ multiple offers to Samuel have not yielded much progress. Samuel’s reported ask for ~$25MM/year deal would vault him ahead of other recent WR deals including those for D.J. Moore, Chris Godwin, and Mike Williams.
The South Carolina product has held up his end of the bargain so far, notching 167 catches for 2,598 yards and ten touchdowns across the last three seasons. He’s also done damage out of the backfield, notching 550 rushing yards and eleven TDs on the ground.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that wouldn’t want to add Samuel, particularly after his Pro Bowl / All-Pro campaign. In just 13 games last year, Samuel racked up 869 receiving yards and averaged nearly 14 yards per catch. He also took 59 carries for 365 yards and eight touchdowns, positioning him as one of the most dynamic offensive talents in the game today.
RFA/ERFA Tender Signings: 4/19/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender signings from around the NFL:
RFAs
Signed:
- Colts: WR Ashton Dulin
- 49ers: OL Daniel Brunskill
- Falcons: WR Olamide Zaccheaus
- Seahawks: G Phil Haynes
- Steelers: LB Marcus Allen
ERFAs
Signed:
- Commandeers: C Keith Ismael
- 49ers: WR Jauan Jennings
- Lions: S Juju Hughes, RB Godwin Igwebuike, OT Matt Nelson
- Rams: QB John Wolford
- Seahawks: WR Penny Hart, DT Bryan Mone, LB Tanner Muse, S Ryan Neal, CB John Reid, LB Jon Rhattigan, C Dakoda Shepley
49ers C Alex Mack Mulling Retirement
Alex Mack‘s 49ers contract runs through the 2023 season, but the decorated center has not determined if he wants to play the second season of that three-year pact. Mack is considering retirement, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Both Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are operating like Mack will be back, but as the 49ers begin their offseason program, they face the prospect of losing another offensive line starter. A former first-round Browns pick, Mack returning would mean playing a 14th NFL season. Mack has played 204 career games.
“We’ve had really good communication. He’s training like he’s coming back,” Lynch said at the league’s recent owners meetings. “I won’t speak for him, but all signs are him coming back and him being part of us.”
Shanahan brought his former Falcons charge to San Francisco last year, and Mack earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod — albeit as an alternate — after playing all 17 games. The 49ers have right tackle Mike McGlinchey coming off a season-ending injury and will be breaking in a new left guard, after Laken Tomlinson‘s Jets defection. Mack coming back would certainly help the contending team, one set to begin the Trey Lance era after four-plus seasons with Jimmy Garoppolo under center.
Mack surprising the 49ers with a mid-offseason retirement would remind of Joe Staley‘s decision to hang up his cleats in April 2020. The 49ers traded for Trent Williams to patch that hole. A Mack successor could come in the draft, should it be necessary. Center should certainly be a position the 49ers consider with an early- or mid-round pick, given Mack’s hesitancy ahead of his age-37 season.
Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin Won’t Participate In Offseason Programs
Three of the top wide receivers currently on their rookie contracts are taking steps to apply pressure to their respective teams regarding new deals. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin are among the players not expected to take part in the on-field portion of their clubs’ offseason programs (Twitter link). 
Those three were taken in the second and, in McLaurin’s case, third round of the 2019 Draft. As a result, Samuel and Brown are scheduled to make just under $4MM in 2022, while McLaurin is due $2.79MM. Those figures rank each player far lower down the list of wideout salaries than they will be when they sign a second contract, especially given the upward trend seen in the WR market this offseason.
Extensions signed by Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs are chief among the new deals comfortably averaging more than $20MM per season. As a result of other lucrative contracts handed out over the past month, the number of wideouts set to make or eclipse that mark is now nine. Between that fact, and the expected surge in the salary cap ceiling in the near future, a number of young receivers will be requesting sizeable new pacts as early as possible.
Samuel has long been named as a top financial priority for the 49ers. In 2021 especially, he demonstrated his unique ability in both the passing and running games, posting 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns. That led to a report last week claiming he will be seeking around $25MM per season.
Brown, meanwhile, had his worst statistical season in 2021. In 13 games, he still totalled 869 receiving yards and averaged nearly 14 yards per catch. He has two 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl to his name, and extension talks have begun between him and the Titans. As for McLaurin, his production despite inconsistent QB play has been impressive; he has recorded 222 receptions for 3,090 yards and 16 scores, making his extension a priority for Washington.
As Schefter notes, McLaurin will still attend the Commanders’ program, which starts today. Still, the fact that he and the others will not be on the field signals their desire to get extended before the final year of their rookie deals begins in the fall.
49ers To Sign Kemoko Turay
Not long after meeting with San Francisco, edge rusher Kemoko Turay has found his next NFL home. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that he is signing a one-year contract with the 49ers (Twitter link). 
Turay, 26, sat down with the team one week ago, so this deal comes as little surprise. He had also visited the Falcons, but they clearly had more interest in linebacker Rashaan Evans, who has since signed with Atlanta. It didn’t take long for Turay to pivot to the Bay Area.
A second-round pick in 2018, Turay saw more playing time in his rookie season than any of his other three. Never able to break out as a full-time starter, he still put together a productive campaign in 2021. In 13 games (and only 224 snaps), he totalled a career-high 5.5 sacks. That, coupled with his age, made him an intriguing low-cost addition.
In San Francisco, Turay will join a defensive line headed by the likes of Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. He should fill at least some of the void left by the expected departure of Dee Ford. Indianapolis, meanwhile, will lean on 2021 first-rounder Kwity Paye as well as offseason trade acquisition Yannick Ngakoue at the top of their pass-rush depth chart.
Deebo Samuel Eyeing $25MM Per Year?
The 49ers have major extensions looming for their top two picks in the 2019 draft. The second of those selections, Deebo Samuel, has generated plenty of storylines recently with regard to his next contract.
On that point, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that Samuel “will be looking for a contract in the range of about $25MM per year”. That figure would place him amongst the highest-paid wideouts in the league, as the market at the position has been reset this offseason through deals signed by Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs.
An average at or near $25MM-per-season would also fall in line with what had recently been reported Samuel’s next contract would look like. Anything above $21MM would rank him ahead of other recently re-signed receivers D.J. Moore, Chris Godwin and Mike Williams.
In three seasons in San Francisco, the South Carolina product has established himself as one of not only the most productive, but also the most unique players in the league. He has made 167 catches for 2,598 yards and 10 touchdowns, but added a significant element to the team’s rushing attack. He has totalled 550 yards and 11 scores on the ground, most of which came this season. His emergence as a ‘wide-back’ earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in his career in 2021.
As Pauline notes, there doesn’t appear to be any concern over the 49ers’ willingness to accommodate that sizeable of a contract request. Moving on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would free up more than $25MM in 2022 cap space to make a deal possible in the immediate future; more generally, the organization has publicly stated that long-term extensions for both Samuel and Nick Bosa have been “budgeted for“.
This figure being reported was preceded, of course, by Samuel removing all mention of the 49ers from his social media profiles. If the two sides can agree on a new contract, which seem to be a strong possibility at this point, though, he will likely be able to move forward as a pillar of the team’s offense.
49ers Release, Re-Sign DL Maurice Hurst
For a brief moment today, Maurice Hurst was a free agent. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), the 49ers released the defensive tackle before re-signing him to a one-year contract.
Clearly, this was a procedural move that surely saved the team a small chunk of cap, but we won’t know how much the 49ers saved until terms are announced. Hurst re-signed with the 49ers in March, inking a veteran salary exception worth a bit more than $1MM. While the veteran presumably signed the same deal this time around, the front office could have pushed some money down the road (per David Lombardi of The Athletic on Twitter).
Hurst was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, and he ended up spending three seasons with the team. After collecting 31 tackles and four sacks in 13 games (10 starts) as a rookie, Hurst only started seven games and compiled four more sacks in his final two seasons with the organization.
The 26-year-old caught on with San Francisco last offseason, and after starting the season on injured reserve, he ended up getting into only a pair of games for his new squad.