49ers Pursuing Starting Safety
- The 49ers remain in the market for a starting-caliber safety, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). With former Seahawks assistant Robert Saleh running their defense, Earl Thomas is a natural fit. But Maiocco notes the team may not be willing to meet a massive asking price. There are, however, plenty of available candidates beyond Thomas to fill this role.
49ers Re-Sign OL Mike Person
The 49ers have locked up pending free agent offensive lineman Mike Person to a three-year deal worth $9MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The pact comes with $3MM in guarantees.
Person is entering his age-31 campaign and has been in the NFL since 2011, but last season marked only his second campaign as a full-time starter. The former seventh-round pick played 999 offensive snaps for the 49ers while spending all his time at right guard. Pro Football Focus, notably, ranked Person as the NFL’s No. 18 guard among 71 qualifiers.
Person — who has also had stints with the Seahawks, Rams, Falcons, and Colts — will be penciled in as San Francisco’s right guard again in 2019. However, his lack of track record and his low average annual salary means Person probably isn’t locked into a starting spot, especially if the 49ers bring in additional guards via free agency or the draft.
49ers Want Jimmie Ward Back
The 49ers want defensive back Jimmie Ward to return, but only on a one-year deal, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. The 49ers recognize that another team could approach him with a multi-year offer, so they’re bracing for the possibility that he won’t return. 
The 49ers value Ward’s toughness and versatility, but they also have reservations about his health.
“It’s not an easy answer, because there’s a long (injury) history,” Lynch said at the combine. “But there’s also a very, very talented football player who I would tell you grew into a really special leader.”
Ward, a, first-round draft pick in 2014, made $8.5MM last season. He hasn’t necessarily lived up to his pricey rookie deal and the 49ers want to see how he does in 2019 before considering a longer arrangement. Still, coach Kyle Shanahan wants him in SF next year.
“I love Jimmie Ward,” Shanahan said. “I really hope to have him back. We all know he’s struggled a little bit to stay healthy. But he’s a guy, as a person, I’ll go to war with every day. I really trust and believe in, and I love him as a player, too. I hope it works out that we get him back.”
49ers Notes: Garoppolo, Brown, Sherman
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be ready for OTAs, as Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports writes.
“Everyone says they are ahead of schedule,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “And he is. I mean he’s been healing great. He hasn’t had knee trouble before. It was a clean ACL, so it’s been real good for him.”
As a QB, Garoppolo should be able to participate in OTA drills, but the risk factor is higher for teammate Jerick McKinnon. The running back, Shanahan says, is unlikely to be involved in the 7-on-7 scrimmages.
“He’s also a quarterback, so when we get to OTAs, it will be 7-on-7s, so we don’t have to worry about people falling at his knees,” Shanahan said. “So Jimmy will be able to practice a lot more than someone like Jet, who we have to be a little safer with, even though they might be at the same spot. We don’t want people to be falling into their legs, and that’s easier to control at quarterback than running back.”
Here’s more from San Francisco:
- The 49ers haven’t reached out to the Steelers about wide receiver Antonio Brown, but that doesn’t mean they won’t, Shanahan says. “We’re in the market for anything that makes our team better at every single position,” Shanahan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle).
- 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman says he’s had talks with the team and that both sides would like to continue together in 2019 (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). Sherman signed a three-year deal with SF in March of 2018, but his ’19 salary is not guaranteed. As it stands, he’s scheduled to carry a $9.8MM cap figure this season.
- No surprise here, but former first-round pick Arik Armstead will be back with the team in 2019. “We’re not into losing good players, and he has played very well for us,” Shanahan said of the defensive lineman (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports). “I think he can take it to a whole ‘nother level and I hope to see him do that this year. If he does, that will be very good for the Niners and very good for him because he’s got the ability to do it. He’s already done some very good things for us in these two years. Hopefully, this year he can stay healthier. Hopefully, the addition of changing our style a little on the D-line will help him. And I expect him to get better.” One year ago, the Niners picked up the non-binding fifth-year option on Armstead’s contract. In two weeks, he’ll have his $9.046MM salary guaranteed for 2019.
49ers Would Jump At OBJ, More Lukewarm On AB; Club To Meet With Mike Person
Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes the 49ers would jump at the chance to trade for Odell Beckham Jr. if the Giants actually make him available, but Barrows is more skeptical about San Francisco’s interest in Antonio Brown. It has been rumored that Brown’s preferred destination is the 49ers, but Barrows says San Francisco would only be a serious suitor for Brown if the Steelers’ trade demands are modest. Of course, we recently heard that Pittsburgh may not get more than a third-round pick for AB, so maybe that is modest enough for the Niners to take the plunge.
- In the same piece linked above, Barrows writes that the 49ers must re-sign guard Mike Person, and he says the club plans to meet with Person’s agent at the Scouting Combine this week.
49ers Franchise Tag Robbie Gould
The 49ers placed the franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, the Niners become the first team to use the franchise tag this offseason. Gould will earn roughly $5MM in 2019 on the tender, unless the two sides avoid the tag with an extension. 
Gould has nailed 72 of 75 field goal attempts over the last two years with the Niners and he ranks as the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. That’s especially impressive when considering that Gould has spent eleven of his 14 seasons kicking out of Soldier Field with the Bears.
The 49ers last used the tag in 2012 when they kept safety Dashon Goldson from exploring the open market. Last year, they considered tagging franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but they avoided that step by inking him to a colossal five-year extension.
With the tag in place, the Niners and Gould can negotiate a long-term deal between now and the summer deadline.
Trent Taylor Believes He Is Fully Healthy, Poised For Breakout
- The 49ers will certainly add a receiver or two to the top of their depth chart this offseason (like Antonio Brown, for instance), but there should still be plenty of opportunities for third-year player Trent Taylor. Taylor underwent back surgery in June, and while he ended up playing 14 games last year — compiling 26 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown — he says he never felt fully healthy. But as Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, Taylor believes he is finally back to normal, and he thinks a regular offseason of work will prime him for a breakout campaign. He is also looking forward to working with his new position coach, Wes Welker, who certainly knows a thing or two about making hay as an undersized wideout.
NFL Awards Compensatory Draft Picks
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks to several teams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The full rundown, which is below, includes two third-round picks for both the Rams and Patriots.
The NFL awards compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained. As the NFL explains:
“Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula. No club may receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year. If a club qualifies for more than four compensatory picks after offsetting each CFA lost by each CFA gained of an equal or higher value, the four highest remaining selections will be awarded to the club.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the number of compensatory selections to the number of clubs then in the League (32). This year, six clubs: the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Rams, Giants, and 49ers qualified for compensatory selections under the net loss formula but will not receive those picks because the final numerical values of the CFAs who were lost by those clubs ranked 33rd through 39thamong the final numerical values of all compensatory selections. Each of those six clubs will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32. “
Third Round
- (No. 33 in third round-No. 96 overall) Redskins
- 34-97 Patriots
- 35-98 Rams
- 36-99 Rams
- 37-100 Panthers
- 38-101 Patriots
- 39-102 Ravens
49ers Notes: OBJ, Kaep
The Niners have the No. 2 and No. 36 overall picks in the draft, giving them ample ammo to land one of the game’s most dynamic receivers. An outright swap of the No. 2 pick for OBJ may be too high of a price for the 49ers to pay, but Florio suggests that the Giants could send back a third- or fourth-round pick to balance things out.
Will the Giants trade Odell Beckham. Jr. this offseason? Speculation is mounting, and Mike Florio of PFT adds fuel to the fire by suggesting that OBJ and the 49ers could be a match.
The Niners have the No. 2 and No. 36 overall picks in the draft, giving them ample ammo to land one of the game’s most dynamic receivers. An outright swap of the No. 2 pick for OBJ may be too high of a price for the 49ers to pay, but Florio suggests that the Giants could send back a third- or fourth-round pick to balance things out.
49ers May Tag Robbie Gould
The 49ers don’t want to let kicker Robbie Gould get away. Keeping the pending free agent may require using the franchise tag, and that’s a step they’re prepared to take, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. In fact, Maiocco expects them to slap the tag on Gould when the window officially opens on Tuesday.
The 49ers haven’t used the tag since 2012 when they kept safety Dashon Goldson from exploring the open market. Last year, they considered tagging franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but they avoided that step altogether by inking him to a (briefly) record-setting five-year extension.
In this case, the tag would set some parameters for a future deal and allow the two sides to negotiate between now and the summer deadline. Tagging a kicker is not especially common, but there are no other candidates in SF for the designation this year. The tag for Gould would be roughly $5MM for this season and Gould’s camp would likely be amenable to a longer-term deal at a slightly lower AAV.
Gould has nailed 72 of 75 field goal attempts over the last two years with the Niners and he ranks as the second-most accurate kicker in league history. It’s especially impressive when considering that Gould has spent eleven of his 14 seasons kicking out of Soldier Field with the Bears.
For his part, Gould has spoken highly of the 49ers organization.
“It’s been a really, really awesome two years here,” Gould said in December. “Obviously, the records haven’t been what people might think they’d be. But as an older player, you can understand what they’re building. You can understand what it looks like, just because you’ve seen all types of situations in the last 14 years. I think these young guys getting playing time is something that we need for next year because if we didn’t have it this year, and it just so happens to start next year, some of those mistakes that could be made … can cost you a football game.”