The Five Best Bargain Contracts on the 49ers

The 49ers have quite a handful of bargain contracts on the roster.

A player who outplays his contract is a dream for every team in the NFL.

For every expensive player, there is always one who is a bargain. The 49ers have quite a handful of bargain contracts on the roster. Nick Bosa was one last year for the Niners as he was paid $10.8 million that saw him lead the league in sacks and win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Now, he will convert from a bargain contract to a massively expensive one that is worth it. The 49ers still have others who are outplaying their deals that give the 49ers a great impact on their success.

Here are the five best bargain contracts on the 49ers.

Brock Purdy

No duh, right? Brock Purdy was easily the best value of any starting caliber quarterback last year and will be once again if he maintains his role in 2023. The cap hit that he registers is $890,000, which takes up .39 percent of the cap. Purdy is making less than a million dollars and barely tickles the salary cap. He is the bargain of all bargains and the 49ers have him under contract until 2026. They don't have to worry about paying him for a few more years and that is if he is the starter with a trajectory.

This is why the 49ers will have no issue letting Purdy have the starting job over Trey Lance. While it is definitely a gut punch to give up all those first-round picks for Lance, the offset is that Purdy costs nothing. There are only 10 other players that make the same or less than Purdy. This is a good problem to have for the 49ers as it will allow them to allocate their resources elsewhere to strengthen the team. Just imagine if Purdy can ascend into a top 10 quarterback, then it will be one of the best deals in history.

Talanoa Hufanga

2022 was an incredible year for Talanoa Hufanga in his debut season as the full-time starting strong safety. He earned both All Pro and Pro Bowl honors, which no one would have foreseen before the season started. Despite a sloppy finish for him in the regular season, it does not take away the enormous jump he took this past season. What makes his season even more impressive is that he isn't some top notch drafted or paid player.

Hufanga was a fifth-round pick, so his cap hit is right at $1 million. That charges .43 percent of the salary cap. The 49ers are paying an immense bargain for an All Pro and Pro Bowl safety. He was such an impact player on the defense last year and arguably was a top five for the 49ers too. Hufanga will be a bargain contract for the 49ers up until 2025 when he is a free agent so long as he sustains his level of play and improves over time.

Deommodore Lenoir

Too much criticism, it feels like, was thrown at Lenoir last season. The position he was put into was not easy at all. He spent all of his time practicing and playing as the nickel corner from his natural outside position. Once Emmanuel Moseley was done for the year, he was forced back to the boundary spot. It was going to take time for him to get reacquainted with that position after investing so much as the slot cornerback. After several games of it being tough sledding for him, Lenoir ended up being a fairly strong cover corner.

So many times, Lenoir had his man relatively draped in coverage. He just lacked the skills needed to make a play on the ball more times than not, which is fine because he is always in a great position to make it a difficult catch for his receiver. Lenoir proved he can be a starting caliber corner inside and out. He has versatility now in his arsenal, which is an elite trait. Lenoir's cap hit is slightly above $1 million, which takes up .44 percent of the cap. Given how he has developed and proven himself, Lenoir is most certainly one of the best bargain contracts on the 49ers.

Brandon Aiyuk

Every season since he stepped into the league, Brandon Aiyuk has continued to improve. It is what led him to have a breakout 2022 season that saw him register career highs in catches (78), receiving yards (1,015), and touchdowns (8). He did all of that with three different quarterbacks. Nothing short of stellar from Aiyuk as he is easily the best pure wide receiver on the 49ers.

The cap hit that he will carry in 2023 is about $4 million, which accounts for 1.73 percent of the cap. A small sprinkle in money and cap percentage for a receiver who is dominating is a steal. Aiyuk is sure to continue to outplay his contract again this upcoming season. However, the bargain is sure to come to an end this year as the 49ers will have to decide on his fifth-year option, which will cost $14 million. Given he continues to ascend every year, that still might prove to be a bargain in 2024.

Dre Greenlaw

The 49ers signed Dre Greenlaw to an extension in September. Someone in the front office must be clairvoyant and advocated for Greenlaw to be extended as he ended up having the best year of his career. It is the only way to explain why the 49ers locked him into a deal once the season started. Greenlaw has a cap hit of $5.5 million and that takes up 2.41 percent of it.

For a player who was one vote shy of being named an All Pro, Greenlaw is an automatic bargain contract. So many times throughout the season he was on par with Fred Warner. The emergence of Greenlaw makes them arguably the best pair of linebackers in the league. Anytime you can get an All-Pro caliber player on small charge to the cap, it will always be a phenomenal value. Greenlaw rounds it out as one of the best bargains the 49ers have right now.