The San Francisco 49ers will not pick up the contract option for veteran defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, making him a free agent after the Super Bowl.
The #49ers are not picking up the contract option for veteran DT Earl Mitchell, source said. A solid locker room presence and leader, he'll be a free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2019
Mitchell, 31, had a cap hit of $4.36 million in 2019 and $4.45 million in 2020 with $7.3 million in salary and bonuses due over the next two seasons. The 49ers signed Mitchell to a four-year deal in February of 2017. He is a nine-year NFL veteran.
Mitchell registered 61 combined tackles, a sack, and four passes defensed in his two seasons with San Francisco. He was replaced late this past season by second-year defensive tackle D.J. Jones after starting the 49ers' first 12 games. Mitchell was a 16-game starter for San Francisco in 2017.
"I think Earl has been better this year than last year, and I think Earl played good last year," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on December 10. "It's very hard to get a number of noses up on game day. So, having Earl up throughout the year is why D.J. hasn't been up very much.
"If Earl ever fell off and D.J. was doing a lot better, we would've made that change. But, Earl's played well throughout the year. But, it came time and had to sit Earl down and tell him it was nothing against him, but we needed to see what D.J. can do."
Jones had 13 combined tackles during the 49ers' final four games of the season while Mitchell was inactive for the final two.
"I thought [Jones] did well," Mitchell recently said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "Obviously, he's young. He has some way to go. He got some valuable experience, so that was beneficial. I look forward to his progression. I thought he played well, but at the same time any issue he had you just need that playing time to understand who you're playing against and to know what this league is all about."
Mitchell, a third-round draft pick out of Arizona in 2010, spent four seasons with the Houston Texans and three with the Miami Dolphins before joining the 49ers.