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Latest On 49ers LT Trent Williams, TE George Kittle

June 10th, 2024 at 11:16am CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the 49ers’ offseason has revolved around the financial futures of wideouts Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Both appear to be on track to remain in San Francisco for 2024, but other members of the team’s offensive core could soon have their respective contract statuses become talking points.

During a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on the presence of “whispers around some in the industry” that left tackle Trent Williams could seek out a new deal (h/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report). The future Hall of Famer is on the books for three more seasons, but no guaranteed salary remains on his pact.

Williams inked a six-year, $138MM deal in 2021 allowing him to remain in the Bay Area for (presumably) the remainder of his career. The extent to which he will keep playing has become a talking point in recent years, with retirement being a consideration following the 2023 campaign. The 35-year-old has since named playing to age 40 as a goal, and he confirmed he will suit up for the coming season.

Recent developments in the market has seen Williams drop to fourth in the league in terms of annual average value amongst offensive tackles. He is due $20.9MM in 2024, followed by $23.35MM the following season and $33.06MM in 2026. It will be interesting to see if continued strong play from the 11-time Pro Bowler (who has earned first-team All-Pro acclaim each of the past three years) leads to an arrangement featuring new money up front or an acceleration of his future compensation.

Fowler also relayed a similar sentiment concerning tight end George Kittle. Two years remain on his pact (the third-highest at the position in terms of AAV), but he too does not have any outstanding salary which is guaranteed. Fowler notes the core muscle surgery which Kittle underwent this offseason has taken attention away from a potential contract issue toward his recovery process. On the latter note, the 30-year-old recently noted (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic) he is rehabbing as expected and is on schedule to take part in training camp.

San Francisco has new deals for Aiyuk and/or Samuel, along with a mega-extension for quarterback Brock Purdy as early as next offseason to plan for. For the time being, the futures of Williams and Kittle should not be considered an issue, but the report of potential discontent in the future could prove to be significant as the team attempts to keep as many members of its nucleus in place as possible.

Talanoa Hufanga Targeting Week 1 Return; Ji’Ayir Brown Likely To Remain 49ers Starter

June 7th, 2024 at 4:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dre Greenlaw was not the only 49ers defensive standout unavailable for the conclusion of Super Bowl LVIII; the team played the stretch run without All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga. The two-year starter’s late-season ACL tear leaves his status for 2024 in question.

Hufanga suffered the injury during the 49ers’ Thanksgiving win over the Seahawks. It is not certain Hufanga joins Greenlaw as starters sidelined to open the season, but the contract-year DB is still a ways away from being ready to return.

“The goal is to ready by Week 1,” Hufanga said, via 49ersWebZone.com’s David Bonilla. “The goal is to be in training camp, not at the very beginning, but to ramp me up correctly, just so it’s not, ‘Throw you out there to the wolves and good luck.'”

A former fifth-round pick, Hufanga showed himself to be a difference-maker at safety during the 2022 season. He became the second 49ers safety this century, joining Dashon Goldson (2012), to earn first-team All-Pro acclaim. Hufanga, 25, profiles as an extension candidate for a 49ers team flush with those. In the secondary alone, Hufanga joins Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir as contract-year cogs. Ward is targeting a 49ers extension; Hufanga stands to be in this conversation upon return from his knee injury.

After a four-interception 2022, Hufanga picked off three passes before his injury last season. The 49ers moved third-round rookie Ji’Ayir Brown into the lineup alongside Tashaun Gipson. Although Gipson has come up as a player the 49ers would consider re-signing, the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman notes Brown looks to be locked into a starting role. This would shift the conversation of a San Francisco safety addition to that player merely being a placeholder until Hufanga returns.

The 49ers signed De’Vondre Campbell for a gig like this, as the three-year Packers starter is expected to begin the season as a three-down linebacker alongside Fred Warner until Greenlaw returns. Brown moving to a level in which the 49ers feel comfortable using him as a full-timer would change the conversation at safety, and it would give the defending NFC champions a low-cost piece on a team featuring several contract situations. Brown’s rookie contract runs through 2026.

The Penn State product started five games in place of Hufanga during the regular season and was in San Francisco’s lineup for its three playoff outings. He intercepted a Patrick Mahomes pass in the Super Bowl. While Gipson started the past two seasons with the 49ers, the well-traveled veteran has played 12 seasons and is not a lock to pursue a 13th.

San Francisco drafted Malik Mustapha in the fourth round and used All-Pro special-teamer George Odum as the first-stringer alongside Brown during the offseason program. If Gipson does not want to play an age-34 season, the 49ers would have some options as veteran insurance while Hufanga rehabs. A few free agent safeties, however, probably view themselves as overqualified for a placeholder/insurance gig. While the market includes Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, they will likely hold out for a better opportunity. Marcus Maye and Eddie Jackson join this trio as unattached, and opportunities might be scarce come training camp. This should put the 49ers in good position to add if they choose to.

49ers, TE Logan Thomas Agree To Deal

June 6th, 2024 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 6: Thomas will receive the veteran’s minimum ($1.21MM) on his 49ers accord, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. That total includes $300K guaranteed. Thomas’ cap hit will be $985K, a manageable figure if he can effectively serve as a backup tight end for San Francisco.

JUNE 3: Seeing a previous effort to add a backup tight end thwarted by the Lions matching a restricted free agency offer sheet, the 49ers are circling back to the position months later. Logan Thomas is on his way to the Bay Area.

The 49ers and the recent Commanders starter are finalizing a deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. This will end a lengthy free agency stay for Thomas, whom Washington released before free agency’s outset. A converted quarterback, Thomas will have a chance to play an 11th NFL season.

San Francisco lost Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley to Atlanta in free agency and has 2023 third-round pick Cameron Latu coming off a season-ending knee injury. The team’s Brock Wright offer sheet did not bring the Sam LaPorta complementary piece to San Francisco; Detroit matched the three-year, $12MM deal. Thomas is now ticketed to be George Kittle‘s top sidekick.

Considering the recent developments, tight end depth became a need for the 49ers. Thomas, 32, stands to fill that void. Despite coming into the league as a Cardinals backup QB, Thomas did not present evidence of being overmatched as a blocker. Pro Football Focus rated the veteran pass catcher 17th in run blocking at the position last season. The 49ers’ offense certainly requires its tight ends to play key roles in the run game, and it will be interesting to see if the 6-foot-6, 250-pound performer can work his way into two-tight end sets alongside Kittle.

Set to turn 33 in early July, Thomas is coming off a four-season Washington tenure. The first of those featured a career-high 670 receiving yards, giving the team a surprise supplementary option alongside Terry McLaurin. Thomas also hit his career high with six touchdowns that season. The showing earned the former Virginia Tech QB a three-year, $24MM deal in July 2021. That turned out to represent important timing for Thomas, who suffered a torn ACL during a six-game ’21 season.

Thomas struggled to regain his form in 2022 but showed signs of promise in Eric Bieniemy’s offense last year. Eclipsing 40 receiving yards in seven games, Thomas finished with 55 receptions for 496 yards and four TDs last season. This effort did not prompt the Commanders’ new regime to sign off on keeping Thomas in the final year of his contract. The team added ex-Kliff Kingsbury charge Zach Ertz and used a second-round pick on Ben Sinnott.

The 49ers did not draft a tight end and came into OTAs with some questions at the position. Most recently, 2023 seventh-rounder Brayden Willis appeared in the lead for the team’s TE2 role, though Latu will probably be heard from at some point ahead of the season. The team also has veteran Eric Saubert on the roster. Thomas’ presence will create some competition among the team’s lesser-known tight ends.

The 49ers have seen Kittle play through injuries in recent years, though he has not missed more than three games in a season in that span. Thomas stands to provide a veteran option for Brock Purdy — in an offense loaded at the skill positions after the draft came and went without Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel being traded.

49ers Extend RB Christian McCaffrey

June 4th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers’ acquisition of Christian McCaffrey brought in a high-priced running back with three-plus years remaining on his contract. McCaffrey has proven tremendously valuable for his second NFL team, and he entered the 2024 offseason with two seasons left on his Panthers-constructed deal.

McCaffrey and the 49ers have reached an agreement on a new contract that will tie the reigning rushing champion to the team beyond 2025. The 49ers are giving McCaffrey a two-year, $38MM extension, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. This will now tether the dual-threat dynamo to San Francisco through 2027.

This represents a bump for the running back market, which McCaffrey had paced since his Carolina extension came to pass in April 2020. In addition to the eighth-year veteran moving beyond his $16MM-per-year number, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds he will see $24MM guaranteed on this 49ers agreement. McCaffrey will earn an additional $8MM over the deal’s first two years as well. No guarantees remained on McCaffrey’s previous contract.

McCaffrey, who will turn 28 later this week, had made it known internally he wanted a new deal, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The former top-10 pick had stayed away from San Francisco OTAs. While that was not exactly cause for alarm regarding this relationship ahead of this week’s minicamp, the 49ers will act early on a player who has rewarded them the October 2022 pickup that required second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-round draft choices to complete.

Tuesday’s agreement also stands to drop CMC’s 2024 cap number, which stood at $14.1MM. Via a restructure, the 49ers had already included two void years in McCaffrey’s previous contract. This extension will help out on that front as well. Given the instability on the running back market over the past two offseasons, it is somewhat surprising to see a back reach $19MM-AAV territory. No other RB is tied to a deal worth more than $15MM per season.

The 2023 offseason removed a few high-priced RB contracts from the equation. The Cowboys and Vikings respectively cut Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook, and the Bengals and Packers respectively gave Joe Mixon and Aaron Jones pay cuts. The 2023 franchise tag deadline featured the three tagged RBs (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) not receiving extensions. McCaffrey was among those who voiced concerns about teams’ valuations of the position, and a Jonathan Taylor-Colts impasse took place. Since Taylor’s battle with his team, the market has shifted a bit. McCaffrey’s new deal follows Taylor’s $14MM-per-year extension and Barkley’s three-year, $37.5MM Eagles agreement.

San Francisco will use a $14.29MM signing bonus to spread out McCaffrey’s cap hits, and Florio adds a 2025 option bonus is in place. The team will guarantee $8.5MM of McCaffrey’s $14.25MM option bonus at signing. Beyond this $24MM guaranteed, the 49ers should still have some flexibility beyond 2025. McCaffrey’s deal includes a nonguaranteed 2026 option bonus ($10.55MM), per Florio, with a nonguaranteed $1.3MM 2026 base salary. CMC’s 2027 base ($16.85MM) is also nonguaranteed.

McCaffrey’s deal reminds of the Cardinals’ 2020 DeAndre Hopkins accord, as it raises a positional AAV ceiling for a player already signed for at least two more seasons. Hopkins received a $27.25MM-per-year extension, which tied him to the Cardinals for five total seasons. The former Arizona wideout collected the guaranteed money on that deal but was not with the Cardinals for the extension years, as the team cut him in 2023. Although signing bonus prorations will create some dead money if the 49ers opt to move on, this contract provides McCaffrey security for 2025 at the very least.

Following the 49ers’ whiff on the Jerick McKinnon signing in 2018, the team used low-cost RBs — Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson among them — until presented with the opportunity to acquire McCaffrey at the 2022 deadline. Outbidding the Rams for CMC, the 49ers took a risk on a player who had missed much of the 2020 and ’21 seasons due to injury. McCaffrey has rewarded the 49ers’ faith, making two Pro Bowls and — after a season with 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns — winning the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year award.

Missing 23 games due to quad, hamstring, shoulder and ankle maladies from 2020-21, McCaffrey has managed to play all but one game since being traded; he missed only an inconsequential Week 18 contest last season. He has been a vital part of the 49ers’ success over the past two seasons, providing Brock Purdy unmatched versatility from the RB position. The 49ers will have a Purdy payment to consider, but a 2025 Purdy extension would still stand to align with this latest CMC payday. McCaffrey may be out of the picture by the time the QB’s lofty cap numbers (assuming a Purdy extension indeed comes to pass) surface. For now, the 49ers have rewarded their top offensive player during the final stages of Purdy’s rookie deal.

This agreement leaves the 49ers with one fewer offensive pillar with a contract year in 2025. Purdy, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel are scheduled for walk years in ’25, with Brandon Aiyuk unsigned beyond his fifth-year option season. The Aiyuk situation lingers, but the 49ers checked off one box Tuesday, rewarding the top player at a marginalized position.

WR Brandon Aiyuk Not Present At 49ers’ Minicamp

June 4th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey extension ensures they have one fewer key player who would be in a contract year come 2025, Brandon Aiyuk remains unsigned beyond this season. Attached to a fifth-year option, the standout wide receiver continues to stay away from his team.

Aiyuk joined CeeDee Lamb by failing to report for his team’s minicamp Tuesday. Aiyuk did not show for the start of 49ers three-day camp, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. Should the two-time 1,000-yard receiver skip all three days of the mandatory offseason session — as it certainly looks like he will — a $104K fine would be levied. Aiyuk has missed all of San Francisco’s offseason program thus far.

Players who miss OTAs usually show for minicamp, but it is not especially rare to see someone engaged in big-ticket extension talks to steer clear of the June session. Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel each attended San Francisco’s minicamp (though, neither participated) while in contract negotiations, respectively, over the past two years. The 49ers reached extensions with both players before Week 1. As of now, Aiyuk is tied to a guaranteed $14.12MM option salary.

The wide receiver market has shifted this offseason, with the top average salary changing hands three times since April. Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and now Justin Jefferson have topped Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year number, and the Vikings ventured into unprecedented guarantee territory to lock down their All-Pro talent. Jefferson raised the full guarantee bar at WR from $52MM (Hill) to $88.7MM. The could conceivably produce sticker shock from other teams negotiating with receivers. Aiyuk would not be a candidate to top Jefferson’s salary, but he is believed to be eyeing a deal in the $30MM-per-year neighborhood.

A May report indicated Aiyuk was targeting an extension worth slightly more than the $30.05MM-AAV deal the Lions gave St. Brown. Prior to the Jefferson contract, Aiyuk-49ers talks were not progressing. The 49ers passed on trading Aiyuk during the draft, though teams inquired; it was believed San Francisco targeted a mid-first-round pick for the 2020 draftee. John Lynch effectively put a stop to Aiyuk and Samuel trade talks, though neither player should be considered a lock to be a 49er this season.

The team’s first-round selection of Ricky Pearsall does appear based on a future in which one of the Samuel-Aiyuk pair is elsewhere, but for now, the team understandably seems keen on reloading and attempting another Super Bowl run with its core skill-position pieces in place alongside Brock Purdy‘s rookie contract. With Purdy extension-eligible in 2025, it appears likely Samuel or Aiyuk will be elsewhere. The 49ers still have some time on this front, holding exclusive negotiating rights with Aiyuk until March 2025 and the franchise tag at its disposal.

With no deal at minicamp, this saga does appear headed toward training camp, the window the 49ers have used to reach several key extensions during the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/24

June 4th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): OL Andrew Stueber
  • Waived: WR JaQuae Jackson

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: LB Shayne Simon
  • Waived/injured: OL Tommy Doyle

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

After missing most of the past two seasons due to a knee injury, Ryan Jensen announced back in February that he was going to retire. The Buccaneers made the move official today, although that won’t be the end of their cap commitment to the offensive lineman. As Greg Auman of FOX Sports notes, since Jensen’s contract was pro-rated, the Buccaneers will be hit with a combined $16.6MM in dead cap over the next two seasons.

The Browns cleared up their depth chart a bit by cutting kicker Lucas Havrisik, leaving the organization with Dustin Hopkins and Cade York to compete for the starting job. Havrisik got into nine games with the Rams last season, connecting on 15 of his 20 field goal tries and 19 of his 22 extra points. In other kicker moves, the Commanders have added Ramiz Ahmed in the wake of the Brandon McManus release.

Hall Of Fame OL Larry Allen Dies At 52

June 3rd, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Larry Allen, one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history, died suddenly while on vacation with his family Sunday in Mexico. He was 52.

Quickly establishing himself as a cornerstone blocker for the Cowboys out of Division II Sonoma State, Allen played 14 NFL seasons. The powerful guard spent 12 years in Dallas before finishing his career with two seasons in San Francisco. The All-Decade guard soared to first-ballot Hall of Fame induction in 2013. No cause of death has been revealed.

“Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “His versatility and dependability were also signature parts of his career. Through that, he continued to serve as inspiration for many other players, defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner.”

Allen’s dominance extended to the point he joined an exclusive club of players selected for two All-Decade teams, being included on both the 1990s and 2000s’ rosters. Working at both left and right guard, along with stints at tackle, Allen gave the Cowboys an unmatched anchor during his prime and kept up his quality play well into his 30s. Allen finished as a seven-time All-Pro (six first teams) and 11-time Pro Bowler.

Already forming one of the great offensive line nuclei in NFL history, the Cowboys added Allen to that mix in the 1994 second round. They chose the former junior college signee and two-time Division II All-American 46th overall, adding him to an O-line mix that included Pro Bowlers Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei, Mark Stepnoski and Erik Williams.

A Williams injury in 1994 thrust Allen into the right tackle role that year. After the Cowboys’ threepeat bid could not withstand another 49ers challenge, the team slid the ultra-talented blocker to his natural guard role. Allen spent 10 of the next 11 seasons as a guard starter in Dallas, with the Cowboys kicking him to left tackle to replace Tuinei in 1998. Allen’s Dallas career covered the final seven years of Troy Aikman‘s tenure and lasted through Drew Bledsoe‘s debut with the team. Allen earned first-team All-Pro honors for his LT one-off season as well.

“The National Football League is filled with gifted athletes, but only a rare few have combined the size, brute strength, speed and agility of Larry Allen. What he could do as an offensive lineman often defied logic and comprehension,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “He could literally beat the will out of his opponents, with many quitting mid-game or not dressing at all rather than face him, but that was only on the field. Off it, he was a quiet, gentle giant.”

Allen’s first season as a full-time guard helped drive the Cowboys to their third Super Bowl championship of the 1990s. That conquest finished off a season that saw four Cowboys O-linemen earn Pro Bowl invites; free agent center Ray Donaldson joined Allen, Newton and Tuinei on a front that helped Emmitt Smith set the then-single-season touchdown record (with 25). As the Dallas dynasty core pieces splintered, Allen remained with the team long enough to help Smith break Walter Payton‘s all-time rushing mark during the 2002 season.

The Cowboys signed Allen to two extensions — in 1998 and 2002; the latter deal was worth $37.3MM over six years. Allen played four seasons on that contract, being released in March 2006. The 49ers stepped in with a two-year deal, and while San Francisco was going through a down period, Allen earned his final Pro Bowl nod during his debut season with the team. Frank Gore‘s lone All-Pro showing — a season that featured the No. 3 all-time leading rusher amass a career-high 1,695 rushing yards — came during Allen’s first 49ers season.

In addition to Allen’s on-field accomplishments, he displayed the strength that gave defensive linemen fits by bench-pressing 700 pounds during an offseason Cowboys workout. During his final appearance as a Cowboy — the 2006 Pro Bowl — Allen repped 225 pounds 43 times. The NFL’s 2019 100th Anniversary team included Allen as one of the guards. In the post-merger era, only three O-linemen surpassed Allen’s 11 Pro Bowls.

11 Teams Gain Cap Space From Post-June 1 Cuts

June 2nd, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Early June no longer means a mid-offseason update to the free agent market, as teams can designate players as post-June 1 cuts months in advance of that date. But June 2 does bring an annually important date in terms of finances. This year, 11 teams will see their cap-space figures expand thanks to post-June 1 release designations. One other club — the Broncos — used a post-June 1 designation, but they will not save any money from the historic Russell Wilson release.

Teams are permitted to designate two players as post-June 1 cuts ahead of that date. This designation spreads a player’s dead money hit over two years as opposed to a 2024-only blow. Courtesy of Spotrac, here are the savings this year’s teams to make post-June 1 designations will receive:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Broncos’ overall Wilson cap hit, even with the quarterback’s $1.21MM Steelers salary factoring into the equation, will more than double any other single-player dead money number in NFL history. The now-Sean Payton-led Broncos, after a failed effort to move Wilson’s guarantee vesting date beyond 2024, will take their medicine for bailing 18 months after authorizing a five-year, $245MM extension. Denver will absorb the lion’s share of the dead money this year, taking on $53MM. The team will not receive the cap credit from Wilson’s Steelers deal until 2025, per Spotrac.

Annually making exhaustive efforts to move under the cap, the Saints will be hit with more than $30MM in total dead cap from the Thomas and Winston contracts. Redesigning both in 2023, the Saints will take on $8.9MM in 2024 dead money on Thomas and $3.4MM on the Winston pact. Mickey Loomis‘ operation is once again at the bottom of the NFL in future cap space, being projected to come in more than $84MM over the 2025 cap.

Baltimore structured Beckham’s one-year, $15MM contract to void, and the team will take on more than $10MM in total dead money on it. The bulk of that will come in 2025; the post-June 1 cut will produce $2.8MM in 2024 dead cap this year.

Latest On 49ers’ RG Position Battle

June 1st, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the 49ers saw an unexpected battle emerge at right guard. After watching Spencer Burford start for much of the season, versatile veteran interior lineman Jon Feliciano emerged as a better starting option near the end of the season and ended up grading out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth-best guard in the NFL (subscription required). The team has prepped for another position battle between the two this offseason, throwing third-round rookie Dominick Puni into the mix, as well.

Feliciano should be the favorite for the job. Although run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Foerster doesn’t see Feliciano as the most-talented option, his experience and consistency have been proven to get the job done for San Francisco. After earning the starting job late in the year last season, Feliciano started all three postseason games for the 49ers, as well. Only an injury saw the reemergence of Burford in the starting lineup, and it eventually resulted in Burford allowing a critical pressure to end the team’s hopes of winning the Super Bowl.

Still, Burford is going to be given every opportunity to win the job back. According to Cam Inman of The Mercury News, Foerster sees Burford as the most talented of the group. “We’re just looking for that consistency,” Foerster told the media. “Maybe it comes from Spencer this year. Obviously, he’s the most talented of the players. I think he’s as talented or more than Puni. Puni will push that from that. And Jon’s just a guy that is a veteran, good player that knows how to get it done.”

The 2022 fourth-round pick out of UTSA had been a starter in each of his first two seasons until getting benched for Feliciano. Even after losing his job as the starter, Foerster continued to find ways to get Burford on the field. If Burford can find that consistency that Foerster craves, he could find himself back in the starting lineup in 2024.

As Foerster mentions, though, Puni will push both players in terms of talent and consistency. Bookending a single season at left guard with four years at tackle while at Kansas, Puni may not have the ability to start at tackle in the NFL, but many view him as a starter on the interior at the next level. Unfortunately, Puni played all but seven games on the left side of the line in college, so he’s currently being slotted as the backup to left guard Aaron Banks. If he continues to show starting ability and consistency and can make the transition to the right side of the line, he could push both Feliciano and Burford for the starting right guard position.

Foerster and the 49ers have plenty of options. Feliciano showed last year that he has the stuff to get the job done as a starter and has lots of motivation to keep the job in what could be his final NFL season. If he does lose the starting position, though, his versatile experience across the interior of the offensive line should help him stay active as the effective sixth-man on the offensive line, a role he held for much of last season. If he does lose the starting role, it will be because one of the two options that Foerster sees as more talented have demonstrated enough consistency to be confidently slotted in as a starter.

Contract Details: Jennings, Slayton, Maye

June 1st, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recently agreed upon deals from around the league:

  • Jauan Jennings, WR (49ers): Two years, $15.39MM. We noted a couple of details in our original report of Jennings’ one-year bump, but thanks to OvertheCap.com, we now have a few more details. First, we see that San Francisco is taking advantage of the recent void year trend that continues to grow in popularity. Jennings’ deal contains four void years at the conclusion of his contract, spreading $14.15MM of his cap hit from 2026 to 2029. Because of this, his cap hits for the next two years will be $2.77MM and $4.26MM, respectively, but if he doesn’t sign a new deal by 2026, he will hold an $8.3MM cap hit despite not being on the roster that year. We originally noted the reported guarantees as $10.54MM, but we now know that he is guaranteed $8.44MM at signing consisting of his $6.21MM signing bonus and both years’ base salaries (worth $1.06MM in 2024 and $1.17MM in 2025).
  • Darius Slayton, WR (Giants): Two years, $12MM. We recently saw the Giants add some incentives to a restructured deal for their leading receiver of the past few years. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports that, as a result of the new deal, New York will see Slayton’s cap hit drop from $8.15MM to $7.75MM. His base salary in 2024 also sees a reduction from $2.7MM to $2.5MM. He should receive a $2.4MM roster bonus, a $350K workout bonus, and could earn up to $750K for the year in per game active roster bonuses.
  • Drake Maye, QB (Patriots): Four years, $36.64MM. Most rookies don’t get much say in how their first NFL contracts look. Overall contract value for first-year players is determined by their draft slot. One point of negotiation, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, appears to be the time it takes for a rookie to receive guaranteed money like signing bonuses. On this note, New England’s new passer will receive all $23.47MM of his signing bonus within 14 days of signing the deal, a huge, timely payout for the North Carolina-product.
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