Do the 49ers Need to Re-Sign Brian Robinson Jr.?

Robinson Jr. will be a free agent.

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The San Francisco 49ers will have an interesting decision to make when it comes to running back Brian Robinson Jr. Robinson was acquired via trade this summer, but the 49ers added him knowing that he was only going to be a rental. After a solid season as the backup to Christian McCaffrey, can the two sides come together on an extension?

Will San Francisco 49ers re-sign Brian Robinson Jr. in NFL free agency?

The 49ers are going to want to bring Robinson back. First, he has been a reliable backup running back. They have been unable to find that in recent seasons. Next, there is a chance he will come cheaply. With just 92 carries last year, his market value took a bit of a hit. 

Spotrac has him projected for under $1.6M. The 49ers spent $1.3 on him last year, so they could even bump it to $1.8M if they wanted to get the job done. 

The other end will be whether Robinson wants to re-sign. Robinson has spent four seasons in the NFL. He has 205 carries, 178, 187, and then 92 last year. It is fair that his yards per carry and success rate were at career highs last year, but that only further proves Robinson’s point if he wants to make the case that he can be a feature back, not a backup.

Robinson can stay fresh as the backup in San Francisco next year, but when Christian McCaffrey leaves, the 49ers may replace him, and Robinson will still have a low value. 

The best idea for Robinson is likely to sign for a team where he can compete to get legitimate carries, and then try to earn a significant contract next offseason after carrying a workload. That is not going to happen in San Francisco. 

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The 49ers drafted Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James in back-to-back years as well. Guerendo is entering year three and appears to be capped as a special teams option, but the team remains high on James after an unproductive rookie season.

Still, the 49ers may realize that James can compete for the backup role next year, so they are not going to go out of their way to try to bring Robinson. If he likes his role that is great, but if he wants more, they will move on. 

There are enough free agent options available that the 49ers can have James compete with a cheap veteran one way or another.