Did the 49ers Need to Give Emmanuel Moseley a 2-Year, $10.1 Million Deal?

Nothing against Emmanuel Moseley.

He's a solid cornerback and a terrific story -- an undrafted free agent who became an NFL starter. But the 49ers didn't need to give him a two-year contract extension worth a whopping $10.1 million. They made a mistake.

Again, nothing against Moseley. He's had some big-time performances in big-time games the past two seasons. He also gave up the 44-yard catch to Tyreek Hill on third and 15 during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl the 49ers lost last year. And he gave up a quarterback rating of 98.8 last season and didn't start the final three games of the season, because he backed up Jason Verrett and Ahkello Witherspoon.

And those aren't even the main reasons the 49ers shouldn't have given Moseley such a lucrative two-year extension.

The main reason is simple: Moseley was a restricted free agent. The 49ers could have given him a second-round tender -- that's a non-guaranteed one-year deal worth roughly $3.5 million. If another offered Moseley a better deal and Moseley accepted it, the 49ers would have received a second-round pick from that team for Moseley.

And Moseley isn't worth a second-round pick. He's worth much less.

To recap: Had the 49ers given Moseley the second-round tender:

1. Moseley would have signed it and played on the 49ers for $3.5 million next season, or

2. Moseley would have signed with another team and the 49ers would have gotten that team's second-round pick.

Either of those outcomes would have been better than giving Moseley $5 million per season.

What were the 49ers thinking?

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