49ers Host G Lane Taylor On Visit
Injuries have thrown Lane Taylor‘s career off course, but he spent several seasons as a Packers starter and is aiming to bounce back in 2021. The 49ers are looking into the veteran blocker, hosting him on a visit Friday.
Taylor’s 49ers meeting does not sound like it will produce an immediate offer, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicating the team is curious about the 31-year-old lineman’s knee rehab remained on schedule (Twitter link). But the 49ers have the eight-year veteran on their radar about a possible gig for next season.
Previously signed to a Packers extension, Taylor suffered season-ending biceps and knee maladies in the past two Septembers, respectively, and has played in just three games over the past two seasons. The latter injury was an ACL tear, and Taylor is still recovering from that setback. He worked as a guard starter for the Packers from 2016-18, however, and only missed two games in that span.
The former UDFA success story would certainly not be a costly addition for San Francisco, which has made some moves on its O-line this week. In addition to re-signing Trent Williams, the 49ers added Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. Top guards Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Brunskill remain on the roster, however, making Taylor more of a higher-end depth addition.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s “minor” moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Darius Clark
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Greg Senat
- Waived: T Drake Dorbeck
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Carlos Watkins
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: WR Mike Thomas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: TE Blake Bell, RB Elijah McGuire
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: TE Johnny Mundt
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: DT Hassan Ridgeway
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Trent Sherfield
49ers To Host Joe Flacco On Visit
John Lynch said earlier this offseason he wanted to look at potential veteran backups. The 49ers will do so soon. They are planning to bring in Joe Flacco for a visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Flacco has bounced around since his 11-year Ravens run wrapped after the 2018 season, going to Denver and New York. The former first-round pick worked with 49ers assistant Rich Scangarello during his brief stay as the Broncos’ starter.
This week has produced a flurry of quarterback movement. Several potential options as a Jimmy Garoppolo backup — from Andy Dalton to Mitchell Trubisky to Jacoby Brissett to Ryan Fitzpatrick — have committed elsewhere, leaving the 49ers with a shallower pool of QB2 candidates. Flacco has extensive experience, having started for more than 10 seasons and having won a Super Bowl MVP honor midway through his Baltimore tenure. But his recent play has not exactly made him a flashy addition.
Following a neck injury that ended his Denver stay, Flacco landed with the Jets. Sam Darnold‘s latest injury moved Flacco back into a starting role. He started four games for the Jets last season, throwing six touchdown passes and three interceptions for a team that started 0-13. On a woeful Jets team, Flacco averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt and completed 55% of his passes.
The 49ers have Garoppolo under contract through 2022. Despite his injury issues and high cap numbers, Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have thrown support behind the ex-Patriot backup. The Patriots have been linked to a potential Garoppolo reacquisition, but the 49ers are believed to be OK with keeping their incumbent starter — unless they can land a major upgrade. Deshaun Watson is believed to have the 49ers atop his destination list, but it is unclear how serious the 49ers would be about pushing to acquire the disgruntled Texans QB.
49ers Sign C Alex Mack
Trent Williams isn’t the only notable lineman headed to San Francisco. Free agent center Alex Mack also agreed to join the 49ers in the wee hours of Wednesday morning (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Mack’s deal is a one-year pact worth $5.5MM, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). 
It’s a return to sunny California for the UC Berkeley product. The deal also marks a reunion with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Mack previously played for Shanahan with the Browns and Falcons. Mack, 36 in November, comes with serious credentials — six Pro Bowls and a track record for durability. He’s played in and started in just about every possible game since 2009, save for his injury-plagued 2014.
The 49ers needed a quality middle-man in the worst way. While Williams turned in a stellar season, the interior line struggled to hold the line. That’s part of the reason why the Niners’ offense sagged and the club needed a new solution in the wake of Weston Richburg‘s retirement. Journeyman Ben Garland was given a chance to start, but the journeyman wound up with an injury of his own.
Mack, who made the NFL’s most recent all-decade team, can officially put pen to paper at 4pm ET today.
Chiefs Were Close To Signing OL Trent Williams
Trent Williams was *this* close to signing with Kansas City before he signed his massive deal with the 49ers. Matt Barrows of the Athletic tweets that the Chiefs “were the runners up in the Trent Williams negotiations,” noting that the veteran was very close to signing with the defending AFC champions.
This is a fine consolation for the Chiefs front office considering the giant contract that Williams ultimately got from San Francisco. The eight-time Pro Bowler inked a six-year, $138.06MM deal with the 49ers, including $55.1MM guaranteed and a $30.1MM signing bonus. The contract made Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league.
The 32-year-old blocker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall offensive tackle in 2020 despite sitting out the entire 2019 campaign. The 32-year-old was widely regarded as the best available free agent in this year’s class, regardless of position.
The Chiefs are committed to revamping Patrick Mahomes‘ offensive line this offseason. While they may have struck out with Williams, they’ve managed to still add some reinforcement. The team inked Joe Thuney to a five-year deal, and we learned earlier today that the team had signed Kyle Long out of retirement.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/21
Today’s “minor” moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: CB Tony Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Tae Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Texans): DT Andrew Brown
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: DT Gabe Wright
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: OL Adam Pankey
- Signed: WR Robert Foster
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: DL Cody Davis
New York Jets
- Re-signed: RB Josh Adams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: RB Adrian Killins
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, TE Daniel Helm
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: TE Anthony Firkser
49ers To Re-Sign DT D.J. Jones
The 49ers have been locking up a lot of their own guys so far in free agency, and they can check another one of the list. San Francisco is re-signing defensive tackle D.J. Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
Financial terms weren’t immediately available, although Rapoport reports it’s a one-year deal for the big man in the middle. A sixth-round pick back in 2017, Jones just wrapped up his rookie contract. The Ole Miss product played rotationally his first two seasons before becoming a full-time starter in the last two.
He started all 25 games that he appeared in over the past two years, racking up five sacks in those games while mostly being counted on to clog up running lanes. San Francisco’s vaunted defensive front was decimated by injuries last year, and the team is hoping Jones will be a big part of the unit’s bounce back in 2021.
49ers To Release Marquise Goodwin
Marquise Goodwin‘s return trip to San Francisco didn’t last long. The 49ers have released the receiver, a source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
In a bizarre transaction, we heard yesterday that Goodwin was reverting back to the 49ers from the Eagles per the terms of the trade they completed last year. At the time we heard Goodwin wasn’t long for the 49ers, and that turned out to be an understatement. Goodwin was dealt to Philly in a late-round pick swap last year, but opted out of the 2020 season and never played a down for the Eagles.
Goodwin had a breakout 2017 season with the 49ers after four years in Buffalo, when he erupted for 962 yards on only 56 catches for a 17.2 yards/reception average. That earned him a three-year, $20.3MM extension the following offseason, but things went downhill quickly after that.
He struggled with injuries the next two seasons, and was a disappointment when on the field, quickly getting buried on the depth chart. The Texas product with blazing speed turned 30 in November and will now hit a free agent market that hasn’t been too kind to wideouts so far.
49ers Re-Sign Trent Williams To Six-Year, $138MM Deal
The 49ers have re-signed Trent Williams to a six-year, $138.06MM deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal comes with $55.1MM guaranteed and a $30.1MM signing bonus and makes Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman.
The Chiefs, Colts, and Bears all wanted Williams, but the incumbents won out. There were, at least, consolation prizes for the Chiefs and Bears — Kansas City landed top guard Joe Thuney while the Bears allocated their dollars towards quarterback Andy Dalton and a new deal for (not-as-impressive) tackle Germain Ifedi.
The 32-year-old blocker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall tackle last year after sitting out the entire 2019 season. He’ll turn 33 in July, but he was widely regarded as the best available free agent in this year’s class, regardless of position.
The current rate for top offensive tackles is around $22MM per year. Despite his age, Williams has topped that with an average annual value of $23MM. Previously, the watermark was held by Packers lineman David Bakhtiari, who inked a four-year, $92 million extension back in November. He could have gotten those dollars anywhere, but Williams has said all along that he’d like to play out the rest of his career in San Francisco.
“San Francisco would be the leading candidate regardless,” Williams said earlier this year. “So even if it does make it to free agency, it won’t be because I’m trying to go somewhere else. It may be simply because I want to see my value. It’s been 11 years in this league, and I have yet to see a franchise left tackle go to the open market. I think it would be interesting to kind of see what [my] value holds.”
Williams’ value is mostly predicated on his world-class performance, but it was also lifted by the lack of quality offensive linemen available in this year’s class. Rather than reaching for subpar protection, the Niners shelled out the big bucks for one of the best tackles in the business.
Latest On Trent Williams’ Market
As expected, the market for free agent left tackle Trent Williams is very strong. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Chiefs, Colts, Bears, and incumbent 49ers are all in the running (Twitter link). However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune is hearing that Williams will not be heading to the Windy City (Twitter link).
We heard several days ago that San Francisco has been pushing to retain Williams, but the 32-year-old blocker sounded as if he wanted to see what the open market had in store. And he is probably happy he made that decision, because according to La Canfora, some GMs believe Williams could earn a $23MM/year deal, which would be right at the top of the LT market in terms of average annual value.
Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Chicago all qualified for the postseason in 2020, and though KC came up just a bit short in the Super Bowl, they did sign the top guard on the market, Joe Thuney. Adding Williams to Patrick Mahomes‘ offensive front would make the Chiefs an even tougher matchup than they already are.
The prospect of playing for the Chiefs’ high-flying offense could be quite appealing for Williams, who wasted away in Washington for most of his career and failed to reach the playoffs with the 49ers in 2020. Of course, Kansas City also has the best QB situation of the interested teams, as the Colts will trot out Carson Wentz, the Bears might be rolling with Andy Dalton, and the 49ers may or may not trade Jimmy Garoppolo.
After sitting out the entire 2019 season, Williams graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall tackle last year.