There is a lot of offseason uncertainty surrounding the San Francisco 49ers roster. The biggest storyline is the status of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who will have shoulder surgery in the coming days. Most expect him to be traded, but the latest development will sideline the veteran quarterback for an estimated 16 weeks, likely hurting his trade value.
The 49ers also have 21 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, including defensive tackle D.J. Jones. The team won't be able to retain everyone, and John Lynch knows that. Roster turnover is part of life in the NFL.
The 49ers general manager spoke with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and reportedly described the contract situation with the 27-year-old defender as "challenging."
The 49ers signed Jones to a one-year deal last offseason, at the time calling the player a "key component" on the defensive line. Some might have viewed the contract as a prove-it deal, and Jones proved it, playing in all 17 games while recording 40 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, and two sacks, all while playing over 50 percent of the defensive snaps for the first time in his career.
Jones' overall Pro Football Focus grade of 73.7 was a career-high, as was his pass-rushing grade of 66.6. The analytics site tallied 24 pressures for the defensive tackle and a career-high 46 stops.
"If his objective is to stay here, he made it really hard," Lynch said via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. "I do think it's going to be challenging."
The day after the NFC Championship Game loss in January, Jones admitted that he had not heard about any contract talks between the 49ers and his representatives but was hopeful they would begin sooner rather than later.
"It was special. It was a special year, and hopefully, I can come back and continue," Jones said.
In addition to what he does on the football field, Lynch praised Jones' off-field qualities that make the defender so special.
"He's such a good human being," Lynch said. "When I talk about my favorite people in the building, I'm not afraid to say D.J. is right at the top of the list. He's a guy who treats the people behind serving lunch as well as anyone.
"He's just a great person. That would be a tough one to lose, but there might be that chance."
While 2021 may have been one of his most impressive campaigns, Jones knows he can do better.
"To be honest, I feel like I'm always my biggest critic," Jones said. "I feel like there's plays out there for myself that I could have made to help the team win. I'm going to continue working on my pass rush [and] run game. I'm going to train harder than I ever have to prepare for this next season."