49ers Likely To Use Franchise Tag On Jimmy Garoppolo
The 49ers are continuing their patient approach to the handling of Jimmy Garoppolo, being set to keep him on the bench again this week. And the team’s wait-and-see strategy looks set to continue through next season.
During a radio interview, Kyle Shanahan said not only would be be fine if the team used its franchise tag on the quarterback. But the first-year HC essentially deemed that scenario more likely than the sides reaching a long-term extension before next season.
“I know you have to franchise a quarterback to keep him, but quarterbacks are expensive. And that is not that big of a deal to us,” Shanahan said in a KNBR segment (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle).
“… It would be great if it could work out that way (a long-term contract), but that’s just not the situation any of us are in. So you want to play it out. That is the good thing about the franchise tag and that’s what, to me, made it an easier decision to trade for him at the time we did to where it’s – I don’t want to do anything very impulsive that could put our team at risk.”
A Garoppolo tag would cost the team more than $23MM next season. The current No. 2 Niners signal-caller is playing out the final season of his rookie deal at $821K. San Francisco can handle this substantial markup, though, in being projected to possess a league-most $60.6MM in 2018 cap space. Considering the team’s new decision-makers have discussed the acquisition of a potential franchise quarterback at just about every turn this offseason, putting a $23MM-plus salary on the 2018 books wouldn’t be too much of a setback to determine if Garoppolo is that player.
No current 49er is set to have even an eight-figure cap number next season. Pierre Garcon‘s $9.36MM tops the rebuilding team’s list. A Garoppolo tag would be the most money the 49ers have ever paid for a quarterback in one season.
Shanahan views the 49ers’ current situation — making a medium-scale bet on a possible high-ceiling passer, one that has yet to throw 100 NFL passes — as ideal for a tag.
“That’s what’s cool about having something like (the franchise tag): Hey, alright, I would love to have a guy like that, especially for only a second-round pick,” Shanahan said. “Definitely. Do we have to make a decision this fast for the future in terms of a long-term deal and everything? No, you don’t. If you do, and it works out, and you feel great about it, that’s awesome. But if not, that’s why the rules are the way they are.”
Regardless of Garoppolo’s 2017 performance, Shanahan said he won’t gauge it as much as he will 2018’s. The former second-round pick’s comfort within the confines of the 49ers’ offense will be higher by ’18, Shanahan said, helping to explain the organization’s patient stance presently.
“… It’s not something where you want to put all this pressure on him, on the organization, on the players around him where it’s like ‘Hey, we’re going to get this deal done, this long-term deal, you’ve got six games to prove it. You better go out there and do it or you won’t get what you think you’re worth,’” Shanahan said. “That’s not right to me for us. That’s not right for him.”
Notes On Impending Free Agents
The Seahawks defense continues to take hits on the injury front as the team has now learned that starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers with a concussion, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link). Bell adds that lineman Oday Aboushi will miss the matchup with a shoulder injury as well, so Seattle will once again have to expose backups to expansive playing time.
- The 49ers are as expected not in playoff contention this year, but still await some key decisions on potential free agents at season’s end. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at six impending free agents who could be on the way out after the 2017 season is over. Branch noted running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Aaron Lynch, defensive lineman Tank Carradine and cornerback Dontae Johnson as all guys that seemed primed to test the open market. There are a variety of factors that go into these decisions, but it’s interesting to see how the team may approach these players in the final six weeks of the season given their impending free agency.
49ers Waive LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
The 49ers have waived linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, including Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). The move was made to clear a roster spot for the return of Tank Carradine. 
Armstrong, who received a two-year extension in December, had been relegated to primarily playing special teams after being supplanted in the starting lineup by Brock Coyle in early November. The team leader in snaps at linebacker with 532, Armstrong saw the field for just 14 snaps in Week 10 vs. the Giants.
With emergence of Coyle and first-round pick Reuben Foster in recent weeks, there just wasn’t any room in the linebacker corps on a Niners team looking toward the future. Armstrong ends his tenure with San Francisco with 53 tackles and one sack on the season.
49ers Eyeing Long-Term Staley-Brown Setup
- The 49ers aren’t planning to part with Joe Staley in the near future. Despite the 11th-year player toiling for a rebuilding team in his age-33 season and being the annual subject of trade rumors, John Lynch said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) he and right tackle Trent Brown will be cornerstones for the next “couple, few” years. Brown is under contract through 2018 but can be extended after this season. Lynch’s comments appear to point to the team wanting to go that route. Staley’s deal runs through 2019 on incredibly team-friendly cap numbers ($7.7MM in 2018 and ’19).
- Lynch said Joshua Garnett has changed his “body composition” in order to better function in Kyle Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme. Branch notes the 321-pound guard, who was known as a power blocker previously, could have returned from IR this season. Perhaps the 49ers wanted to use this year, once Garnett suffered a preseason injury, as an intentional redshirt for the purposes of the 2016 first-round pick adjusting to the new offense. Lynch said the 49ers encouraged the 6-foot-5 lineman to adjust accordingly, physically speaking, for Shanahan’s scheme, so it appears he will be in the picture in 2018 despite arriving under the Trent Baalke regime. Branch notes he figures to compete for a starting job next season.
Lynch Discusses Garoppolo, Armstead
- Though the 49ers will start C.J. Beathard again on Sunday, team general manager John Lynch is convinced Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be the team’s future starting quarterback writes Cam Inman of The Mercury News. “We really, genuinely believe that this guy’s got the makings of a guy who could be our guy for years to come,” Lynch said. “That’s all got to come to fruition on the field.”
- Staying with San Francisco, Lynch also believes defensive end Arik Armstead has a bright future with the team despite missing 18 of 32 career games with an injury, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “We think he’s a fit with what we are and who we are going forward,” Lynch said. Though he is a fit, Armstead will need to find a way to stay on the field to stay in the 49ers’ plans.
49ers To Stick With Beathard Vs. Seahawks
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard will receive his fifth consecutive start when the team hosts Seattle on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). That means the recently acquired Jimmy Garoppolo will have to wait at least another week to receive his first snaps in San Francisco. 
Though Shanahan said Garoppolo, who the team traded for before the deadline from the Patriots, is making progress, he doesn’t expect the quarterback to be fully up to speed in the team’s offense this season. “Is Jimmy going to be the best he can? To me, that’s impossible. He just hasn’t been here long enough. … I don’t think we’re going to see Jimmy’s best football, to be fair to him, until next year. Because that’s what guys need.”
Fans in the Bay Area might be ready to see what Garoppolo can do, but it is also tough to bench the third-round signal-caller just one game after he delivered the team’s first victory. In Week 10 vs. the Giants, Beathard completed 76 percent of his passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns and added another score on the ground.
San Francisco didn’t trade for the Eastern Illinois product for no reason, however, and the team is sure to give him a chance to show what he can do in Shanahan’s offense should Beathard make a misstep.
49ers Claim DE Cassius Marsh
Cassius Marsh is returning to the NFC West. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the defensive end has been claimed on waivers by the 49ers. Marsh was waived by the Patriots earlier this week.
The 25-year-old was acquired by New England from the Seahawks in September in exchange for a fifth- and seventh-round pick. Marsh went on to play in nine games for the Patriots (one start), compiling 19 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. The defensive end seemingly fell out of the rotation, as he only logged a pair of snaps during the team’s win over the Raiders last weekend. However, Marsh had showed some potential in 2016 with Seattle, compiling three sacks.
The 49ers are struggling with injuries on their defensive line, as they were without Aaron Lynch and Solomon Thomas at defensive end last weekend (along with Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine, who are both on the injured reserve). Marsh will presumably slide right into the team’s lineup, joining Elvis Dumervil and Ronald Blair as the team’s healthy defensive ends. Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets that the 49ers have an empty roster spot, so they won’t have to make a corresponding move.
49ers Release Datone Jones
The 49ers have released defensive end Datone Jones, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee tweets. The move may create room on the roster for the return of defensive end Tank Carradine. 
Jones joined up with the Niners in late October, marking his third NFL team of the season. The former first round pick was cut by Vikings during the preseason and cut loose by the Lions one month ago in order to bring in quarterback Brad Kaaya. Despite his trio of stops this year, Jones’ only action came with the Niners. In a reserve role, Jones totaled six tackles in three games.
The release of Jones comes one day after the Niners claimed former Jaguars defensive lineman Sheldon Day off waivers. Day apparently has lots of believers around the NFL – at least three other teams put in claims on the second-year pro.
Texans, Lions, Cardinals Liked Sheldon Day
On Monday, the 49ers used their high waiver priority to snag defensive tackle Sheldon Day. They weren’t the only team with interest in him, however. The Texans, Lions, and Cardinals also tried to claim him, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
It seems that several teams in the league have been keeping an eye on the former fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame. Day hasn’t done a whole lot in his one-and-a-half NFL seasons, notching just eleven tackles and two sacks. However, he led the Fighting Irish in quarterback pressures (13), tackles for a loss (15.5), and touchdown-saving tackles (9) in his final year on campus.
The Texans would have loved to get a good look at Day, particularly after losing defensive lineman J.J. Watt and backup Christian Covington for the season. Ditto for the Lions who are without defensive tackles Haloti Ngata and Jordan Hill plus defensive end Kerry Hyder. However, the 1-9 49ers beat them all to the punch in order to reunite Day with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
By assuming his rookie contract, the 49ers have gained contractual control of Day through the 2019 season. However, if he gets cut at some point between now and then, the Texans, Lions, and Cardinals will be among the teams to keep an eye on.
49ers Claim Sheldon Day From Jaguars
The 49ers claimed defensive lineman Sheldon Day off waivers from the Jaguars, the team announced on Monday.
Day was waived on Saturday when the Jaguars activated rookie Dede Westbrook. A fourth-round selection in 2016 coming out of Notre Dame, Day has appeared in 22 games, logging 11 tackles, two sacks and one pass defensed. With the move, the second-year defender will be reunited with San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who spent three seasons in Jacksonville as a linebackers coach before heading west.
A Second Team All-American at Notre Dame, Day posted 15.5 tackles for loss as a senior in 2015, the most by a Fighting Irish player since Derek Landri in 2006.