The 49ers’ preferred free agency route probably includes zero big-name free agents making their way to San Francisco. They have defensive lineman Arik Armstead to re-sign, along with starting free safety Jimmie Ward. They also have wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, defensive lineman Ronald Blair and several other contributors set to hit the open market.
Keeping everyone would be ideal for a team that went 13-3 and was six minutes from winning the Super Bowl. Over The Cap has the 49ers with about $13 million in cap space to work with, although there are ways to inflate that number that San Francisco will surely execute.
We went through the list of available free agents though and picked out a few names that would be fun signings for San Francisco in the event they get priced out of some of their more coveted free agents. There are a ton of names that would instantly make an impact for the 49ers, so went over some hypothetical situations where they land in Santa Clara this offseason.
WR AJ Green (Bengals)
There’s a world where the 49ers are able to retain some of their free agents and fit Green in under the cap. He turns 32 before the start of the season, and missed all of 2019 with an ankle injury. Green is exceptionally productive when he is on the field, averaging 75 catches, 1,113 yards and eight touchdowns per year during his first eight seasons. The 49ers badly need another playmaker on the perimeter across from Deebo Samuel, and Green is as good a receiver as there is in the league when he’s healthy.
CB Byron Jones (Cowboys)
With their cap space evaporating rapidly, the Cowboys probably won’t be able to keep Jones despite the fact he’s arguably their best defensive player. For the 49ers, they’d scoop up a 27-year-old corner who can start right away, and take over for Richard Sherman (who’s in the last year of his deal) once he exits. The 49ers need to start stocking their roster to prepare for life without Sherman, and doing so with a Pro Bowl caliber talent would be a good way to ensure San Francisco’s pass defense remains one of the best in the league.
WR Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
It’s never happening, but how fun would it be to watch Cooper in Kyle Shanahan’s offense? Cooper is a dynamite route runner who creates yards of space in only one or two steps. He might go for 1800 yards within the framework of Shanahan’s offense. A change of scenery in Dallas allowed Cooper to blossom into a player he couldn’t be in Oakland. In 25 games with the Cowboys, Cooper has 132 catches, 1,914 yards and 14 touchdowns. He might put up those numbers in 16 games in San Francisco.
RB Austin Ekeler (Chargers, RFA)
Despite his role diminishing upon Melvin Gordon’s return this season, Ekeler had a monster year. He racked up 1,550 yards on 224 touches with 11 touchdowns. He caught 92 balls and to go with 132 carries on the ground. That type of weapon is exactly what Shanahan wants in a running back. While the 49ers have a strong stable of backs, Ekeler is a player who could step in and be a difference maker in an already talented group. He’s a restricted free agent and will be way too expensive for the 49ers, but Ekeler is a good prototype for the style of running back that could really thrive under Shanahan.
DE Shaq Barrett (Buccaneers)
Barrett was a player we thought the 49ers might target last offseason. He’ll be well out of their price range this year after he went off for a league-high 19.5 sacks on a one-year deal with the Buccaneers. In the event the 49ers lose out on Armstead, it’d be wild to see how Barrett performs in a defensive end role opposite Nick Bosa and/or Dee Ford. It’s not exactly a positional need, and he’d be way too expensive for a rotational defensive end, but that’s not the point of the exercise. He would be a terrific fit on an already stellar 49ers defensive line in this hypothetical scenario.
DL Chris Jones (Chiefs)
49ers fans might be familiar Jones for his performance in Super Bowl LIV. He is a force on the interior in the tier just below Rams DT Aaron Donald. Jones is an excellent run stopper and an even better pass rusher. The 49ers could use his every-down versatility, and stopping the combination of him and DeForest Buckner would be a nightmare for opposing defenses. Jones is going to get a massive contract elsewhere, but adding a player like him to the interior of the 49ers’ defensive line would be incredible to watch.
S Anthony Harris (Vikings)
There weren’t many safeties better than Harris in the NFL last season. He’s developed nicely into a ball-hawking free safety and led the NFL with six interceptions this season after posting just three through his first four years. Harris is also an aggressive tackler that would slide seamlessly into the free safety spot of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense. San Francisco probably won’t afford a player like Harris if they do have to replace Ward, but Harris is one of the only available safeties who can effectively do all the things Ward does for the 49ers’ defense.
