Joe Staley is signed through the 2021 season. That doesn't guarantee anything, however, for the San Francisco 49ers veteran offensive tackle.
There's been a lot of speculation surrounding Staley's future. Up to this point, that's all it's been — speculation. Nothing has indicated that the left anchor of the offensive line is even considering retirement this offseason. In fact, general manager John Lynch informed reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in February that he believes Staley will be back.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was recently asked about Staley's future and didn't want to say whether or not he believed the veteran would return.
"I'm going to go 50/50 (chance of Staley playing in 2020)," Maiocco said during a conversation with Laura Britt for NBC Sports Bay Area.
The 49ers insider points out that Staley, after dealing with injuries this past season, had been going to the team's facility every day following the Super Bowl LIV loss to try to get back to 100 percent. Of course, players are no longer allowed in the building due to the shutdown of the facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"This season took a toll on a lot of people, and he's a veteran," Maiocco continued. "He battled some health issues. I don't know (if he will continue playing)."
Staley took the defeat by the Kansas City Chiefs pretty hard, which was evident during his post-game interview.
"This is super disappointing," Staley told reporters. "This is very hard being in this moment right now."
It was Staley's second Super Bowl loss. His first came eight years earlier against the Baltimore Ravens. That's a difficult situation to overcome when you are considering heading into your 14th NFL season.
"This is very hard being in this moment right now."
Joe Staley gives a heartbreaking postgame interview pic.twitter.com/PGhA6QxKvX
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 3, 2020
"You put your heart and soul and entire life into trying to be a Super Bowl champion," Staley continued. "You get to the end of your career, and you realize how rare these opportunities are. The emotions are all so raw and real for me right now."
Maiocco believes the 49ers have approached this offseason as if Staley will not return, which is a prudent approach if you are unsure of the situation. That could mean finding a replacement in this month's draft.
"Even if he does (return), he's not going to be around too much longer, locking down the left side of that offensive line," Maiocco added, "so the 49ers really have to start taking some steps in order to make sure that [spot is set] once he leaves."
Maiocco seems more certain that another veteran won't return to the team for the 2020 season, but not because of retirement. The 49ers insider sounds confident that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who landed on injured reserve in December with knee and ankle injuries, won't be retained.
"I don't think that Marquise Goodwin is going to be on this team," Maiocco said. "The 49ers are going to try to trade him, and if they're not able to trade him, they'll probably part ways with him."
There was a report last month from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Goodwin's name has come up in some trade discussions. How far those talks have gone, however, is unknown. The receiver is set to count over $11 million against the salary cap over the next two seasons.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't dance around the topic when asked about Goodwin's future.
"If he's on this team, he's going to be competing with that (receiver) group and, if not, I feel pretty confident another team would want him," Shanahan said.
The coach was even asked if the 49ers would consider trading Goodwin.
"We could, yeah," he responded.
