4 Free Agents the 49ers Shouldn't Re-Sign
21 players are slated to become free agents on the San Francisco 49ers. Some players will be retained, while others will not.
Even if the 49ers want to retain a chunk of them, the salary cap constraints as well as differing values will occur. They will end up having to choose which ones are worth re-signing over others. To make it easier for them, I have chosen the four free agents that the 49ers shouldn't re-sign and let them walk.
DE Chase Young
This is the easiest free agent to let walk. Usually when the 49ers made a midseason trade for a defensive lineman, it works out in their favor. However, Chase Young broke that trend this season. He was nowhere near adequate for the 49ers. When he first joined the team, he looked pretty solid in a few games. But as the season progressed, he completely became just a filler player. His lack of effort ended up being exposed too.
Young wasn't making much of an impact. In run defense he is just there and as a pass rusher he is simply inefficient. Young is likely to want to command a bit of money that the 49ers will not be able to afford. I could see him pursuing a one-year $8 million deal when free agency arrives. Unless he's willing to cut that down by two-thirds, then the 49ers should happily let him walk.
FS Tashaun Gipson
It's time for the 49ers to flip the page to the young era at safety. Tashaun Gipson has been such a solid player for the defense and kind of a steal in free agency too. But now they have to move on. Gipson will be 34 years old when the 2024 season kicks off. They cannot continue to invest precious game reps to a player who isn't getting any better.
Now, it's tricky here because of the status of Talanoa Hufanga. The 49ers should be moving on with him and Ji'Ayir Brown as their starting safety duo, but will Hufanga be ready by the start of the regular season? If it is a tossup, then perhaps Gipson does return. Not unless the 49ers just look for one of their rostered guys to step up and fill in until Hufanga is ready. Either way, Gipson might have to seek employment elsewhere.
DE Randy Gregory
Speaking of failed midseason trades for a pass rusher, Randy Gregory wasn't dramatically better than Young. He is kind of in the same boat as Young. When he first arrived, he was making a noticeable impact in the first few games, then ended up disappearing. There was a lot of hope with Gregory that he could turn it up with the 49ers and return to his peak form from a few years ago with the Dallas Cowboys.
But he never came close. Working with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek didn't seem to uplift him that much and neither did having the benefit of playing with Nick Bosa. Gregory is no more than a decent depth player who can give several impactful snaps a game. He could end up coming at a valued cost for the 49ers, but I think they could save a few of those millions and put it elsewhere.
CB/S Logan Ryan
If there is one thing that Kyle Shanahan loves, it is aged free agent veterans. I know the signing of Logan Ryan came as a result of Hufanga's injury and such, but the 49ers do love their older secondary players. And that is why Ryan is on here because I fear that the 49ers will want and love to have him back. Leave Ryan's short tenure as it is.
It was a decent one with him filling in at safety and then in the slot, but at some point the 49ers have to stop panicking when their young players have a bad rep and go to the old guy. Believe in the scouting and your coaches to develop the young secondary players the same way that Deommodore Lenoir came along. Give Ryan a pat on the back, maybe a hug, and thanks him for his services.
