49ers will not pick up contract option on nose tackle Earl Mitchell

The 49ers will have a new man in the middle in 2019. In a move that was foreshadowed late in the season, the 49ers will not pick up the option on the final two years of nose guard Earl Mitchell's contract, the team said. Mitchell, 31, who will become an unrestricted free agent, was replaced in the starting lineup by D.J. Jones for the final four games. Mitchell played just one defensive snap in those games and was inactive for the final two games. Mitchell was scheduled to earn a 2019 base salary of $2.85 million, with no money guaranteed. Jones, 24, a 2017 sixth-round pick, will earn a base salary of $645,000 next season.