Not everyone has praised the San Francisco 49ers' moves in free agency, but analytics site Pro Football Focus has given the team high marks. As 49ers general manager John Lynch seemingly warned, the 49ers didn't make too many "splash" moves in the early days of free agency and certainly didn't make as many moves as they did last year at this time. However, the 49ers feel they have gotten better.
"When it comes to free agency, often times less is more and having restraint is the best way to handle the league's new year," wrote Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus.
The 49ers have handed out nearly $281 million worth of contracts with $144 million in guarantees since the Super Bowl, according to OverTheCap.com. The potential sum of the contracts is almost $100 million more than the next team – the Chicago Bears.
In 2018, the 49ers will have nearly $98.7 million of cash invested in new players. Of course, $42 million of that amount will be headed to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
San Francisco was one of four NFL teams listed as "early winners" in free agency by Palazzolo. Below are the key signings the 49ers made so far and what he had to say about them. Of course, the first two were signed before the official start of the free agency period.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB
Signed February 8 to a five-year, $137.5 million deal
"The 49ers' offseason technically started by locking up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo long-term, securing their franchise signal-caller for the foreseeable future," Palazzolo wrote. "Garoppolo's small sample size of success is enough to believe that he's the right man to build around in San Francisco."
Richard Sherman, CB
Signed March 10 to a three-year, $39.15 million deal
"They then added cornerback Richard Sherman after his release from the Seattle Seahawks, bringing him in on a team-friendly deal," Palazzolo wrote. "Sherman is annually one of the best cornerbacks in football, and assuming good health, the 49ers got a steal in securing the tail end of Sherman's prime."
Weston Richburg, C
Signed March 14 to a five-year, $47.5 million deal
"Up front, they added center Weston Richburg who is one of the league's best when healthy, especially if he gets back to his 2015 form that saw him grade at 86.5," Palazzolo wrote.
Jerick McKinnon, RB
Signed March 14 to a four-year, $30 million deal
"Beyond that, the contract for running back Jerick McKinnon may have been a bit rich, but he's a good fit for the zone-heavy rushing attack and his pass-game ability adds to his value," Palazzolo wrote. "He's coming off a career-year that saw him grade at 84.6 overall."