The San Francisco 49ers are unlikely to exercise Javon Kinlaw's fifth-year option, which probably won't come as a surprise to many. The former No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 draft is preparing to enter his fourth NFL season and the final year of his rookie contract. The Niners will likely forgo committing the guaranteed money that a fifth-year option would require.
OverTheCap.com projects Kinlaw's fifth-year option to cost about $10.5 million, all of which would be guaranteed. That's a lot of money for a player who has spent a good chunk of his career injured and hasn't been able to reach expectations while on the football field.
"The team is unlikely to pick up his fifth-year option in May, which means he's heading into the final year of his contract," wrote Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "Kinlaw played just three games last season before his knee began acting up, and the 49ers have to consider a more dependable starting defensive tackle."
Of course, this sounds more like speculation than an actual report, but the logic behind the assumption makes sense.
Kinlaw, 25, recorded four tackles through six starts with the 49ers last season. He has just 1.5 career sacks, all of which came during his rookie 2020 campaign.
The defensive tackle's best overall single-season Pro Football Focus grade of the season was 58.7, which came in Week 2. He earned a mark of 44.2-or-lower in each of his final four games, including the playoffs. Kinlaw's 31.9 overall grade and 28.8 run-defense grade this past season are career lows.
Kinlaw missed 11 games this past season after issues arose with his surgically repaired knee. He has missed 24 regular-season games over the past two seasons.
"Even after returning in mid-December, his snap counts were restricted and he never seemed to be at top form," Barrows wrote. "Kinlaw was shoved around by the Eagles' interior offensive linemen in the NFC Championship Game and he ended the season with the lowest run grade of any 49ers defender, 28.8, according to Pro Football Focus."