HEADLINES

Nick Zakelj

49ers Notes: Ward, Kittle, Juszczyk, OL

January 15th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers are heading into a pivotal offseason, headlined by oncoming negotiations with Brock Purdy on a long-term extension.

Among the 49ers’ pending free agents is cornerback Charvarius Ward, who has started 46 of the team’s 51 games since joining on a three-year, $40.5MM contract during free agency in 2022. Only one of those absences was due to injury, though. The other four were personal: Ward stepped away from the team for three weeks after his daughter, Amani Joy, passed away in October, and later sat out in Week 17 to welcome a son, Charvarius Jr.

Ward acknowledged that the personal tragedy he endured this year may impact his decision to return to San Francisco in 2025.

“I’ve got a lot of trauma in California,” Ward said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, that’s probably going to ever happen to me — knock on wood — happened in California.”

Ward’s free agency situation is a glimpse into how players’ personal lives – not just the desire for money or championships – can factor into their career decisions.

“It can just bring up bad memories,” continued Ward. “Every time I get on a plane and come back to California, Santa Clara, San Jose, and show up here, it just brings up bad memories.”

Ward’s girlfriend does not want to live in California after the tragedy, further pulling him away from San Francisco. The couple had their son in Dallas, where Ward began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys. They are on his list of desired destinations in free agency, along with other teams in the south where he grew up and attended college.

The 28-year-old hasn’t ruled out a return to the 49ers, saying that general manager John Lynch has talked to him about re-signing, but he’s not sure they can afford him. San Francisco already signed Deommodore Lenoir to a five-year extension worth just under $90MM after using a second-round pick on Renardo Green in last April’s draft.

Ward should be able to match or beat Lenoir’s contract as an unrestricted free agent. He was excellent in 2023, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro selections, and his step back in 2024 is perfectly understandable considering his personal tragedy. Though the 49ers are projected to have $46.5MM in cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap, another top-15 cornerback deal might not be available with multiple other contract situations to figure out.

Here is the latest out of San Francisco:

  • For example, the 49ers may be considering an extension for All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who set league records with his last extension. His $15MM per-year average set a new high for tight ends at the time of signing (2020), and his $75MM in total money remains the most in the position’s history. He is “all ears” to ideas from the 49ers front office and emphasized that he wants to stay in San Francisco for the rest of his career, per Wagoner.
  • Fellow offensive chess piece Kyle Juszczyk also hopes to stay in San Francisco, according to Wagoner. The veteran fullback took a pay cut last offseason and will count for $6.5MM against the 49ers’ salary cap in 2025. He could be a cap casualty this offseason, but Kyle Shanahan will be hard-pressed to find another player who can fill Juszczyk’s diverse role in the offense. He’s earned eight straight Pro Bowls since signing with the 49ers and will likely remain a crucial part of their offensive attack.
  • The 49ers also have a few offensive line spots to evaluate this offseason. Right guard Aaron Banks is expected to price himself out of San Francisco after last year’s explosion in the position’s free agency market. Ben Bartch is also a free agent, but he will be cheaper to retain and could take over for Banks in 2025. At center, meanwhile, the 49ers will likely stick with veteran Jake Brendel, but 2022 sixth-rounder Nick Zakelj could factor into the team’s future plans, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
  • The 49ers almost added another cornerback last offseason, pursuing now-Lions defender Amik Robertson in free agency, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Robertson opted for a two-year, $9.25MM deal in Detroit, where he managed to avoid the defense’s injury bug to appear in 17 games, including three starts to end the regular season. He is now set to play a major role in the Lions’ postseason push for a Super Bowl.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/23

November 15th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

So far this year, Zakelj, the second-year interior offensive lineman, has only appeared in four games on special teams, but the team intended for him to compete with free agent signing Jon Feliciano for the backup center job behind starter Jake Brendel. With Aaron Banks out last week, and with the coaches wanting to get Feliciano more involved at right guard anyway, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Zakelj became a key backup at center. Unfortunately for Zakelj and the 49ers, a torn bicep will require surgery, taking Zakelj out for the remainder of the season.

Latest On San Francisco’s OL Plans

June 3rd, 2023 at 2:30pm CST by Ely Allen

There weren’t many doubts heading into 2023, but 49ers offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster has provided some clarity about some roles on the team’s offensive line for the year. While the left side of the line from center over was solid last year, with left tackle Trent Williams grading out as the league’s top tackle, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the right side of the line was viewed as a bit more up in the air.

The biggest question facing the offensive line was who would replace departing starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who signed with the Broncos in free agency back in March. Foerster confirmed that the team intends to utilize fourth-year tackle Colton McKivitz in the starting lineup to begin the season, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The former fifth-round pick out of West Virginia has been asked to step up a few times, starting five games over his young career. It’s been a long road to become a starter as McKivitz spent the majority of his sophomore season on the practice squad and dealt with a high ankle sprain that landed him on injured reserve for four games last year.

San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of options behind McKivitz. Jaylon Moore has competed with McKivitz in the last few years for a backup role, starting five games over the last two seasons, and the team brought in Matt Pryor for depth in free agency. Pryor was also considered a possible replacement for McGlinchey as he has the most starting experience of the three, but he will instead be providing some experienced depth off the bench with starts under his belt at both tackle and guard.

Another question lingered on the right side after Spencer Burford showed room for improvement as a rookie starter last year. The 49ers asked a lot of their fourth-round selection, cementing him in that starting role fairly early into his tenure with the team. Of 77 guards graded last year by PFF, Burford’s rookie season ranked him 67th in the group. Despite the team bringing in some possible competition, Foerster confirmed that Burford should be returning to his starting role from last year.

The options behind Burford are much better than behind McKivitz. As mentioned above, Pryor comes in with starting experience at guard as well as tackle. The team added another veteran with diverse experience in Jon Feliciano. Feliciano started games at both guard spots over his time with the Raiders and Bills before spending last season as the Giants’ starting center. He provides San Francisco with a strong option as a backup center, but a recent report claimed that the team intends to use Feliciano back in his natural guard role. It appears he may be the 49ers’ top backup option for any of the interior roles.

San Francisco also has second-year guard Nick Zakelj, but Foerster wants Zakelj to give Feliciano a run for the No.2 center job behind starter Jake Brendel, according to Wagoner. Foerster says that they’d like Zakelj, who appeared in five games as a rookie last year in minimal work, to be able to provide depth at all three interior positions.

Hence, Foerster has provided us a strong portrait of the depth chart for San Francisco’s offensive line. A starting lineup that includes (from left to right) Williams, Aaron Banks, Brendel, Burford, and McKivitz will have strong competition and replacement options in Pryor, Feliciano, and Zakelj. With some of the best players in the country at running back, wide receiver, and tight end, and several strong options at quarterback, Foerster is doing his best to make sure the offensive line is not a weak spot on the 49ers offense.

49ers Not Planning To Sign Free Agent C

June 8th, 2022 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

As they attempt to replace Laken Tomlinson and Alex Mack, the 49ers are light on experience. For now, that is not fazing the team. San Francisco is not planning to chase a free agent upgrade at center, Kyle Shanahan said during minicamp.

The 49ers turned to Jake Brendel as their first-teamer throughout OTAs and have continued this setup at minicamp. Brendel would be an atypical solution. The former UDFA turns 30 before Week 1 and has made three career starts — all as a fill-in with the 2018 Dolphins. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster was Brendel’s position coach during part of his Miami tenure. The 49ers are Brendel’s fifth team.

Mack retirement rumors lingered for weeks, and Shanahan said the coaching staff had been expecting the 13-year veteran to hang up his cleats since March. Mack’s mid-offseason retirement comes two years after Joe Staley did the same. The 49ers moved aggressively to replace Staley, trading for Trent Williams soon after. J.C. Tretter and Matt Paradis would are available, but free agency is not San Francisco’s Mack replacement plan.

“We didn’t want to make it a big thing and go chase stuff, especially when the player that we have in here has done a good job and has shown us in here that he can do it,” Shanahan said, via David Lombardi of The Athletic (subscription required). “… You know all the veterans out there. We’ve had an idea about it for a while, so we’ve been looking at all situations, and right now, we feel like we’re doing the best one for us.”

Shanahan’s praise notwithstanding, Brendel has played six offensive snaps in the past three years. The UCLA alum is not the only option here, but he seems poised to enter training camp as the clear favorite. The 49ers signed Keaton Sutherland, who played in one game with the Bengals last season, and drafted Nick Zakelj in Round 6. Zakelj finished his Fordham career as a tackle, but Lombardi notes the 49ers view him as a possible long-term center option.

The prospect of right guard Daniel Brunskill sliding over is not out of the question, either, with second-year tackle convert Jaylon Moore competing at right guard as well. But Brunskill’s 35 straight guard starts suddenly look important for interior-line continuity purposes. Second-round pick Aaron Banks (five 2021 offensive snaps) is set to take over for Tomlinson, a five-year 49ers starter, at left guard.

No matter who wins the center job, the 49ers will move to their fourth primary snapper in four years. Weston Richburg‘s late-2019 injury — what became a career-ending malady — threw the team’s pivot plans off course.

“Jake made our team last year as a backup center,” Shanahan said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to believe they have an ability to start. We had a lot of confidence last year in Jake to make the team. If Mack would’ve ever missed a game or something, we wouldn’t have hesitated and we would’ve gone into that game very confident with him. We also have guys like Brunskill who has done it before, and I think we have some young guys who can do it.”

49ers Sign Entire 9-Man Draft Class

June 2nd, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the middle of their second week of OTAs, the 49ers managed to sign all their draft picks in a day. Each of San Francisco’s nine draftees agreed to terms on their four-year rookie contracts Thursday.

Because no first-rounders were part of this class, because of the 49ers’ Trey Lance trade-up, none of this group has a fifth-year option in his contract. While second- and third-rounders’ deals occasionally cause issues, this year being a moderately interesting one for Round 2 choices due to guaranteed years, each of the three 49ers Day 2 choices is locked in.

The 49ers began their draft by taking USC edge rusher Drake Jackson at No. 61 overall. Jackson, who recorded 12.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in three Trojans seasons, will be expected to play at least a rotational role for the 49ers this year. Jackson received $3.14MM of his $5.8MM slot deal guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

San Francisco’s Dee Ford bet largely did not pay off. Ford is expected to be released soon. The team brought back Kerry Hyder, after his one-and-done Seattle tenure, and signed ex-Colts second-rounder Kemoko Turay. Ex-Ram Samson Ebukam also remains on the 49ers’ roster, after signing last year. But Jackson will certainly be expected to be part of the 49ers’ Nick Bosa-fronted edge mix as a rookie.

San Francisco added third-round skill-position players Tyrion Davis-Price (No. 93) and Danny Gray (No. 105) as well. Davis-Price, a 211-pound LSU-produced running back, joins 2021 third-rounder Trey Sermon, starter Elijah Mitchell and veteran Jeff Wilson in San Francisco’s crowded-looking backfield. Davis-Price left LSU after his junior season — a 1,003-yard slate. A 5-foot-11 wideout, Gray played a prominent role in SMU’s pass-happy offense. A former Texas 3A 100-meter champion while in high school, Gray caught 49 passes for 803 yards and nine touchdowns as an SMU senior.

Here are the draft picks the 49ers are set to take into minicamp and training camp:

Round 2: No. 61 Drake Jackson, DE (USC) (signed)
Round 3: No. 93 Tyrion Davis-Price, RB (LSU) (signed)
Round 3: No. 105 Danny Gray, WR (SMU) (signed)
Round 4: No. 134 Spencer Burford, OL (Texas-San Antonio) (signed)
Round 5: No. 172 Samuel Womack, CB (Toledo) (signed)
Round 6: No. 187 (from Broncos) Nick Zakelj, OT (Fordham) (signed)
Round 6: No. 220 Kalia Davis, DT (Central Florida) (signed)
Round 6: No. 221 Tariq Castro-Fields, CB (Penn State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 262 Brock Purdy, QB (Iowa State) (signed)