After their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers' priorities are now focused on executing their offseason plan, which will significantly impact their 2022 approach, given the amount of expiring contracts and unknown entities on this football team.
But, what's the first order of business you might ask? Extending Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson, who has been a steady force for San Francisco since arriving in a trade from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick.
Out of all the free agents, why is Tomlinson the first priority of the offseason when there are other key players like Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa who are considered more valuable to the core of this franchise? Well, Tomlinson has a void in his current contract that hits on February 15th, leaving a dead cap hit of $1.2 million on the books for the 49ers.
For a player that is vital to the success of the running game and passing game, and one who's likely to be extended regardless, why take on an extra $1.2 million when that space could be saved by extending Tomlinson?
It's not like Tomlinson is hesitant about a deal with the 49ers either—he willingly expressed his desire to return to the team in his post-season press conference with the media.
"I love it [in San Francisco]," Tomlinson said. "I kind of watched myself develop into the man, the player, the husband, and the father, the character that I am today, and it all started with getting traded here to the 49ers. I owe a lot of thank yous to a lot of people that had faith in me here."
While he understands that the NFL is a business first, his intentions on his next destination are clear.
"I would love to stay, but I know it's a business, and we'll just see what happens," Tomlinson added. "But I love it here, I always loved it here, and everyone's been great to me here."
In addition, fellow offensive lineman Trent Williams endorsed Tomlinson's return, making it ever-so-likely that the 49ers retain a key cog in the trenches for the foreseeable future.
#49ers Trent Williams "definitely" wants Laken Tomlinson to return next year and spoke to his importance to the team and need to bring Laken back.
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners_) January 31, 2022
With Trey Lance likely taking over the reins as the signal-caller next year, it's even more important that the 49ers maintain continuity up-front, making Tomlinson a must-retain, especially given that he plays at a Pro-Bowl caliber level.
Looking at his last contract, Tomlinson received a three-year, $16.5 million deal in 2018, and should be in the market for a considerably higher raise, perhaps in the $8-11 million range, although given the 49ers' needs to re-sign key free agents, likely again to one-year deals, I'd expect the contract to be back-loaded with a potential opt-out clause, similar to the deals received by Trent Williams, Fred Warner, and George Kittle.
Remember the date: February 15th. That's when an extension between both parties should be done by.