49ers Exercise Eric Reid’s 2017 Option
In advance of the deadline for fifth-year options for 2013 first-round picks to be exercised, the 49ers have picked up their option on safety Eric Reid, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The move will ensure that Reid is on San Francisco’s books for a $5.676MM salary in 2017.
[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Reid, 24, has been a full-time starter for the 49ers since entering the league as the 18th overall pick in 2013. In 2015, he made 66 tackles to go along with a sack and a forced fumble, failing to record an interception for the first time in his career. The LSU product grabbed three picks in 2014, and four in his Pro Bowl rookie season.
The Niners’ decision to exercise Reid’s option for 2017 comes as no surprise. General manager Trent Baalke said in April that the team would either retain Reid by exercising his fifth-year option or by extending him.
While his option has now been picked up, Reid could still sign a longer-term extension with San Francisco anytime between now and when he’s eligible to hit the open market, in March of 2018.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers' Draft Approach Suggests Kaepernick Rumors Can Be Put To Bed
- The draft has come and gone, and Colin Kaepernick is still a 49er. As Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle writes, the 49ers‘ actions during the draft–i.e. waiting until the sixth round to pick up raw signal-caller Jeff Driskel, instead of drafting a more pro-ready prospect in the early rounds as many pundits anticipated–suggest that one of Kaepernick or Blaine Gabbert will be the team’s starter in 2016. And, since Kaepernick’s most likely suitors drafted quarterbacks of their own, it looks like we can finally put the Kaepernick rumors on ice for a little while.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Bradford, Kaepernick
There were indications earlier today that the Cowboys were exploring a possible move up to No. 32, but it doesn’t appear that will happen. The team’s executive VP, Stephen Jones, told reporters, including Todd Archer of ESPN.com, that Dallas isn’t moving up from No. 34 — the club will either stand pat or move down.
Assuming they stay at No. 34, the Cowboys will be targeting a defensive player, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), there are two players left on the team’s board with first-round grades, so perhaps the Cowboys will move down if those two players are selected by the teams ahead of them. Moore adds (via Twitter) that Jones expects the remainder of Dallas’ draft to be heavy on defense, with perhaps a quarterback and an interior offensive lineman mixed in.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Quarterback Sam Bradford has not responded to anyone from the Eagles organization, including the team’s coaches, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link via 97.5 The Fanatic). The Eagles’ brass has indicated it won’t honor Bradford’s trade request, so the two sides may have to mend some fences at some point.
- According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the 49ers currently have no plans to release quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose odds of being traded took a significant hit when Denver drafted Paxton Lynch on Thursday. While San Francisco may prefer not to pay Kaepernick’s full salary, the team appears willing to do so, with no pay cut imminent. Considering the Niners still have $50MM+ in cap room for 2016, they can certainly afford to carry Kaepernick’s contract.
- The Lions believe that Taylor Decker was one of the most versatile tackles in this year’s class, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. “We’re going to put him in the mix with the rest of the tackles on the roster and see who the players are at the right position,” GM Bob Quinn said. “We’re not going to pinpoint him now or until we’re ready to play a game, at what position, what side of the ball. He is a tackle, so he’ll either be right tackle or left tackle and that’s really to be determined.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Day 2, Ragland, Ravens, Cowboys
The consensus from evaluators is that there are more talented players still available today than they had anticipated, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That means that we could see a lot of trade activity take place early on in the second round. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the Browns, Titans, and Cowboys, who hold the first three picks of the second round, are all getting phone calls about possible trades.
Here are a few more draft updates and rumors, with the second round less than two hours from getting underway:
- Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link) surveyed 11 teams about linebacker Reggie Ragland‘s enlarged aorta and none of those clubs expressed concern. Ragland, he adds, is still expected to come off the board early on in tonight’s proceedings.
- Reports last night suggested that the Ravens and Cowboys discussed a trade involving the fourth and sixth overall picks, but Dallas balked because Baltimore would have selected running back Ezekiel Elliott. Per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Ravens actually wanted to move up for defensive back Jalen Ramsey. However, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets that the Cowboys believed the Ravens were eyeing Elliott, and didn’t want to miss out on both Elliott and Ramsey by sliding down two spots.
- Agent Jimmy Sexton helped to stop Laremy Tunsil‘s slide on Thursday night by having his client call into war rooms and talk to team decision makers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. In those conversations, Tunsil owned the past drug use shown in the video.
- Here’s a fun fact from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter): Chip Kelly’s NFL teams have used 11 of their 23 picks on Pac-12 players, the most picks from a single conference by any head coach in that time. The 49ers, of course, used their two first-round picks last night on Oregon’s DeForest Buckner and Stanford guard Joshua Garnett.
- The Cardinals, Panthers, Falcons, and Seahawks are keeping their eyes peeled today for a backup quarterback, Ian Rapoport tweets.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
49ers GM On Davis, Tunsil
- Anthony Davis’ hammered the 49ers on Twitter this week but general manager Trent Baalke says he’s not losing sleep over what transpired. “There’s no decision to be made,” Baalke said when asked if the team has made a decision about his status (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). “Right now, he’s not in the National Football League. He’s retired. So there’s no reason to even speculate on what we’re going to do or what we might do. “He’s got to be reinstated into the league and that’s a process that takes some time. He doesn’t put in and a day later he’s reinstated. There’s a process that he has to go through.”
- Baltimore says that the Laremy Tunsil video didn’t affect their draft decision, but 49ers GM Trent Baalke admits that it was a factor. “Well, I think every team is aware of the video,” Baalke said (via Maiocco). “We factor in everything. So whether you get that information late in the process or you get it early in the process, it’s all factored in.” After nabbing a defensive lineman at No. 7, the 49ers could target an offensive tackle with their next pick.
Broncos Will Not Pursue Colin Kaepernick
Those sick of the lengthy Colin Kaepernick/Broncos saga can breathe a sign of relief tonight. After trading up to select Paxton Lynch in tonight’s draft, GM John Elway confirmed to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (Twitter link) that the team will no longer pursue the 49ers quarterback.
The Broncos and 49ers have been discussing a Kaepernick deal for most of the offseason to date. A deal seemed to be close earlier this month, but the proposed swap was blown up when No. 7 refused to take the severe pay cut being requested by Denver.
As of three weeks ago, the Broncos were reportedly hoping to push his $11.9MM number down to $7MM and have Kaepernick also take pay cuts in the other years of his deal. However, Kaepernick’s camp was committed to either keeping the salaries intact or changing the contract to allow him to hit free agency next offseason, when his controlling team could cut him before his salary becomes guaranteed for 2017.
Now that Kaepernick’s leading suitor has pulled out of the chase, the Niners must turn their attention to other QB-needy teams or try and smooth things over with Kaepernick. The Jets, at one point in time, were connected to Kaepernick and it’s conceivable that they could get some dialogue going as talks with Ryan Fitzpatrick remain at a standstill. However, some reports have indicated that the Jets aren’t all that interested in Kaepernick, despite his apparent interest in them.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Acquire No. 28 Pick
10:35pm: The 49ers also picked up an extra seventh-round pick (No. 249), tweets Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.
10:16pm: The 49ers have acquired the No. 28 pick from the Chiefs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports San Francisco will ship a second-round pick (No. 37), a fourth-round pick (No. 105), and a sixth-round pick (No. 178) to Kansas City, and use the pick to select guard Joshua Garnett, per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Kansas City was reportedly trying to trade up at one point, perhaps with its eye on Paxton Lynch. Once Lynch went to the Broncos, however, it seems that the Chiefs changed course and decided to trade back and acquire more picks. Garnett will be plugged in as an immediate starter on a San Francisco offensive line that has become porous in recent years.
If Elliott Is Gone, 49ers To Pursue Ramsey?
- If the Cowboys take Elliott, Miller (on Twitter) expects the 49ers to try very hard to move up for FSU defensive back Jalen Ramsey.
- Cincinnati defensive back Leviticus Payne is drawing late interest from the Colts, Vikings, Jets, 49ers, and Texans, Wilson tweets.
49ers GM: Kaepernick Could Be Traded This Week
- Unless the Cowboys trade back into the first round, it’s hard to find a landing spot for quarterback Paxton Lynch in the first round, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Schefter cautions that another team could be “laying in ambush.” This is surprising news considering the level of buzz that has been around the Memphis product for the last few weeks. Many reports have indicated that Lynch is regarded as the third-best quarterback in this year’s class behind Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. The Browns (No. 8), Bills (No. 19), and Jets (No. 20) have all been said to have a fondness for Lynch, though there have been conflicting reports on Gang Green’s interest level. In v2.0 of PFR’s 2016 NFL Mock Draft, Dallas Robinson has Lynch going No. 7 to the 49ers, with the assumption that a Colin Kaepernick deal has already been agreed upon.
- Speaking of which, 49ers GM Trent Baalke told Bob Holtzman of ESPN that it’s possible Kaepernick could be traded this week (Twitter link via Schefter). The Broncos, of course, have been heavily connected to Kaepernick in recent weeks. Trade talks have reportedly been at a standstill as the QB refuses to take the kind of pay cut that Denver is pushing.
49ers Eyeing Clemson's Kevin Dodd?
- 49ers GM Trent Baalke personally worked out Clemson defensive end/outside linebacker Kevin Dodd and also brought him in for a pre-draft visit, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets.