Laken Tomlinson Signs 3-Year $41.2 Million Deal with the Jets

The 49ers just lost their first big free agent of the offseason.

Laken Tomlinson just signed a three-year, $41.2 million contract with the New York Jets, according to ESPN. The 49ers expected Tomlinson would draw a bidding war early in the legal tampering period, and he did. And the 49ers clearly don't mind losing him, because they didn't clear cap space to re-sign him. In fact, they're still over the cap. So they never were in the market for Tomlinson.

That's probably why the 49ers drafted Aaron Banks in the second round last year. They knew Tomlinson would be a high-priced free agent in 2022 and they knew they didn't want to overpay for him, as the Jets just did. Let's be clear -- Tomlinson is not worth a three-year, $41.2 million contract. He's a decent run blocker and he's solid in one-on-one pass protection, but he gets lost when he has to pick up a blitz or a stunt or do anything outside of a phone booth. Which means he's replaceable.

But that doesn't mean Banks will replace him. The 49ers surely drafted Banks with the intention of him starting at left guard in 2022, but he did nothing in 2021 to warrant such a promotion. He didn't play at all.

So the 49ers will have to sign a cheap guard to compete with Banks -- perhaps veteran Dan Feeney, who played with the Jets last season. Feeney and Banks will be a downgrade from Tomlinson, but at least they'll be much cheaper and allow the 49ers to spend elsewhere.