The San Francisco 49ers are a bit of an enigma. The 49ers won’t lose much in terms of pending free agents, but they don’t have any first-round draft picks, and they have team needs to fill. San Fran just finished 2021 with a winning record in one of the best divisions in football. Yet, they will likely be moving on from their starting QB, who is the darling of advanced metrics in an offense predicated upon picking up yards after the catch for success. But how different will San Francisco’s offense look under Trey Lance?
San Francisco 49ers 2022 Offseason Preview
San Francisco’s future is a question with Lance, but the physical talent of the quarterback is unquestionable. He brings outrageous athleticism to the position, and his right arm is weaponized. Lance will still need reps under live fire in his sophomore season to really get a feel for the speed of the NFL game. But after the 49ers traded their 2022 first-round pick to move up and secure Lance at No. 3, he will get his opportunities and be afforded patience.
The 49ers do not have a ton of cap space heading into the offseason. But they will get a reprieve after they move on from Garoppolo’s contract, which will free up nearly $25 million. This will signal the start of trying to win in the “rookie contract window.”
The 49ers have $5.6 million in projected cap space
Source: Spotrac (as of Jan. 30)
San Francisco will roughly $35 million in space, but it is not yet official. They’ll terminate Garoppolo’s contract and allow him to walk virtually free of charge to whichever team is willing to cultivate an offense that can hide his flaws and use his strengths. There will be other things they can, but this Rams roster has a lot of talented pieces and just needs rounding out to potentially make another run.
The Niners should be able to use some of that money to lure one of the free-agent cornerbacks to San Francisco. There is no shortage of names that could be of use, but J.C. Jackson undoubtedly headlines all possibilities.
49ers’ pending free agents
Left guard Laken Tomlinson might not be the biggest pending free agent name for the Niners, but he might be the most important, at least offensively. Tomlinson has been outstanding between Trent Williams and Alex Mack.
Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. will both probably walk, given the draft capital San Francisco used on fellow running backs Elijah Mitchell and Trey Sermon in 2021. Mohamed Sanu and Tom Compton are also pending free agents for 2022.
Defensively, San Francisco has a few names who will be testing free agency. In September, Jason Verrett’s torn ACL was a massive setback for the defense. He’ll be 31 coming off the injury and is still a talented player, so he might be decent value.
K’Waun Williams, D.J. Jones, Jaquiski Tartt, Josh Norman, and Arden Key were all contributors to the 2022 defense but will be without contracts in the offseason.
49ers’ team needs
Even in a tough NFC West, the Niners aren’t far off from being serious competitors. If Lance can give San Francisco competent QB play in 2022 and they address a few team needs in free agency, this roster could be the best in the West next year.
The majority of the needs are on the defense, but outside of cornerback, they all feel relatively minor. Offensively, they need to sure up the offensive line and may consider a true number one receiver to complement Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
49ers’ top five needs in the 2022 NFL offseason
- Cornerback
- Defensive end
- Defensive tackle
- Right tackle
- Safety
49ers’ 2022 NFL Draft picks
The 49ers sent a haul to Miami for the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, so they won’t get a shot to improve their roster until Round 2.
Here’s how the 49ers’ 2022 NFL Draft picks currently stand according to the draft order.
- Round 2 (Pick 29)
- Round 3 (Pick 29)
- Round 4 (Pick 29)
- Round 5 (Pick 29)
- Round 6 (Pick 8 — from DEN)
- Round 7 (Picks 33*, 36*, & 43*)
*projected compensatory selections