Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
San Francisco 49ers
Washington Commanders
The 49ers are set to add experienced depth up front. San Francisco has a deal in place with offensive tackle Chris Hubbard, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 
This will be a one-year pact worth $1.375MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. Hubbard started all nine of his games during his single season in Tennessee, adding to his lengthy NFL resume. The 33-year-old has logged 94 appearances and 58 starts during his time with the Steelers, Browns and Titans.
Hubbard suffered a biceps injury in November and it caused him to miss the remainder of the 2023 season. To no surprise, the ailment hindered his market and left him waiting until well after the draft to find a new deal. The former UDFA earned a PFF grade of 69, and his absence was missed on a Titans team which struggled up front last season.
San Francisco is set on the blindside with Trent Williams on the books. The team saw right tackle starter Mike McGlinchey depart on a big-ticket deal with the Broncos in free agency last offseason, creating a notable vacancy on that side of the line. The 49ers relied on Colton McKivitz to replace McGlinchey, and he started all 20 regular and postseason games in 2023.
McKivitz did enough in his first season as a starter to earn a one-year extension, keeping him in place through 2025. Hubbard will therefore serve in a swing tackle capacity upon arrival in the Bay Area. The latter has sporadically seen time on the blindside during his career, but his most common position has been at the right tackle spot.
The defending NFC champions entered the draft with O-line as a potential target area. The team selected Dominick Puni in the third round, and he has college experience at both tackle and guard. Today’s Hubbard news suggests the Kansas product will be used primarily on the interior as a rookie, something corroborated by Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic (subscription required). At a minimum, both Hubbard and Puni will provide the 49ers with depth at multiple spots up front.
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
The 49ers have been active signing their rookies to contracts, finalizing deals with six of their eight draft picks. The team also found time to add a group of undrafted free agents, as the team announced that they’ve signed eight rookie free agents:
Evan Anderson got a significant pay day to join the 49ers offseason roster. The Florida Atlantic product earned a $30K signing bonus and had $250K of his base salary guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The defensive lineman was productive in four collegiate seasons, compiling 20 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and three fumble recoveries. Elsewhere on defense, Jaylen Mahoney joins the 49ers after snagging four interceptions and collecting 17 passes defended in fives seasons with the Commodores.
Tanner Mordecai bounced around during his college career. He didn’t play much in three seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to SMU, where he tossed 72 touchdowns across two seasons. He spent the 2023 campaign at Wisconsin, where he connected on nine touchdowns in 10 games. During rookie minicamp, he’ll be joined on the offensive side by Cody Schrader, who is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign where he collected 1,818 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. The 49ers also added Terique Owens, who is the son of former 49ers star wideout Terrell Owens.
Yesterday’s rush of rookie signings continued today. Here are Friday’s draft pick signings:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
Jimmy Johnson, a Hall of Fame cornerback who starred for the 49ers over 16 seasons in the 1960s and ’70s, died Wednesday night, his family announced. Johnson was 86.
Among 49ers cornerbacks, Johnson set the standard in terms of seasons played and interceptions. Although Ronnie Lott tallied more INTs as a 49er (51), the legendary safety changed positions (from corner) early in his career. No 49ers cornerback comes especially close to Johnson’s career INT total (47). Only Jerry Rice played in more games as a 49er (238) than Johnson’s 213. The team retired the Hall of Famer’s No. 37 jersey.
Johnson’s 47 INTs came during a career in which quarterbacks regularly steered clear of the coverage ace. Johnson did not earn his first Pro Bowl honor until his age-31 season (1969), but he landed four more invites and added five All-Pro nods (three first-team selections). The first-team honors spanned Johnson’s age-32, age-33 and age-34 seasons.
Johnson also spent early-career time at safety and at wide receiver. The 49ers tried the 6-foot-2 talent at wideout in 1962; he totaled 627 yards and four TDs that year. It was not too hard to predict Jimmy Johnson would display elite athleticism, as his older brother — Rafer Johnson — was a storied competitor in the decathlon, winning the gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Jimmy Johnson starred in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump at UCLA, winning an NCAA title in the hurdles the same year Rafer won gold in Italy.
“Only rarely would other teams’ quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco) of Johnson’s cornerback performance.
Johnson made vital contributions to the 49ers’ early-1970s surge, which produced three straight playoff berths and two consecutive appearances in the NFC championship game. Johnson was in the starting lineup for each of San Francisco’s five postseason contests in that span. Johnson’s play remained strong enough he started until age 38. Johnson ranks in the top 20 for starts by an NFL DB. Most of the players ahead of him on that list logged multiple seasons at safety.
Much of Johnson’s prime was spent on struggling 49ers teams, limiting his exposure decades before the NFL greenlit free agency. The 49ers, who selected Johnson sixth overall in 1961, lost at least six games each season from 1961-69. Paul Zimmerman, the late Sports Illustrated NFL writer, called Johnson the greatest defensive back in NFL history when compiling his all-time team earlier this century. Although Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, he was not named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team when that surfaced in 2019.
Dozens of undoubtedly high-end pens are being put to paper around NFL facilities today, and the 49ers are in on the rookie signing action. San Francisco inked three members of its rookie class Thursday night.
Second-round cornerback Renardo Green and fourth-round picks Isaac Guerendo, a running back, and Jacob Cowing (a wide receiver) are now signed to their four-year rookie deals. With Green being selected at No. 64, his contract will not be fully guaranteed. Last year’s second-round closer — Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims, who arrived at No. 63 — received two fully guaranteed years and no guarantees into Year 3.
Although this 49ers draft is best known for being the first since 2021 to feature a first-rounder, Green is the team’s first second-round selection since 2022. The Florida State alum operated as a starter for two seasons, earning second-team All-ACC acclaim last year. The 49ers appear set to attempt to plug in the 6-foot corner into the slot role.
Since letting K’Waun Williams walk in 2022, the 49ers have been unable to find a steady slot presence. Logan Ryan ended up in the role to close last season; the veteran DB has since retired. The 49ers had hoped 2023 free agent signing Isaiah Oliver would fill the void alongside perimeter starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, but he did not end up doing so and has since been released. Oliver caught on with the Jets.
While the 49ers have a host of young corners and veteran Isaac Yiadom on their roster and carry the option of moving Lenoir inside on passing downs, the team may still want a full-time slot cog. Though, 49ers GM John Lynch said the team views Green as a player capable of helping the cause inside or outside. With Lenoir and Ward in contract years, the team may need to turn to this year’s No. 64 overall pick as a regular by 2025 at the latest.
No matter how successful the 49ers become, we cannot seem to move past “what if?” scenarios involving bigger-name QBs. Although Tom Brady is retired (for the time being, at least), Kirk Cousins made a second free agency defection. The former Kyle Shanahan Washington pupil received a $100MM practical guarantee from the Falcons, tying him to the team for at least two seasons. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. pick raised the most eyebrows of any in the draft (and stunned Cousins), and one GM said (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) the Falcons do not choose Penix at No. 8 if they do not believe a Cousins trade destination will emerge. Another GM viewed the Penix pick as a path for Cousins to, at long last, reunite with Shanahan in San Francisco.
It would cost the Falcons $37.5MM in dead money to trade Cousins before June 1 next year, and while one of the GMs who spoke to La Canfora the NFC South team would likely be willing to eat dead money to move the high-priced starter (presuming Penix is ready), the 49ers passing on a Brock Purdy extension to bring in a QB ahead of his age-37 season would be quite the development. Jed York has spoken of a Purdy extension, though La Canfora posits the former Mr. Irrelevant’s asking price could point Shanahan back to Cousins.
The 49ers made early preparations to sign Cousins in 2018, before their Jimmy Garoppolo extension, but Shanahan has long been a fan — to the point the 49ers were willing to offer No. 2 overall for the then-Washington QB in 2017. While dot connecting makes sense after the surprising Penix pick, several hurdles appear in the path to Cousins joining the 49ers this late in the game. Here is the latest out of San Francisco:
Wednesday’s minor transactions in the NFL:
Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
With the Patriots hiring Eliot Wolf as their de facto GM after having moved on from Bill Belichick, all five teams in need of a GM have filled their post this offseason. If other teams decide to make GM changes, they’ll be added to this list.
Updated 5-11-24 (4:35pm CT)