Which Free Agent Will the 49ers Target Next?

The 49ers have been fairly active in free agency.

The 49ers have been fairly active in free agency.

Of course, it has mostly been retaining their own talent. That was to be expected. The 49ers always want to keep their own players, but no player retention was more significant than locking in Trent Williams. 

Essentially all of the 49ers' key free agents are taken care of, so which free agent will the 49ers target next?

Kerry Hyder Jr. of course. 

Like I said, the 49ers refuse to look outside of the organization when it comes to players. And if they do, then it will be players they have familiarity with such as center Alex Mack. Even Hyder himself was a familiar signing due to defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. And boy, was the addition of Hyder last season a huge one. 

You could make the case that signing Hyder last year was the greatest free agent addition to the 49ers. He made an impact as a pass rusher when the 49ers significantly dropped off at due to the injuries to Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. Bosa is expected to be back and healthy for the 2021 season, but Ford is still a concern.

The 49ers need a partner in crime for Bosa, so of course the 49ers are going to want to retain Hyder. It all comes down to how much Hyder will cost the 49ers since his value is enormously higher than it was last free agency period. A lot of the top pass rushers have already inked deals, so it shows that Hyder is among the Tier 2 or 3 of free agent pass rushers.

That plays to the 49ers' advantage. 

I expect them to lock in a deal with Hyder for one year, $7 million loaded with incentives. Hyder knows that by re-signing with the 49ers he can sustain success because the last time he left Kocurek it didn't go well for him. Plus, this is his chance to double down on himself like Jason Verrett is doing so he can get a longer term deal next year.

Hyder is undoubtedly going to get pursued by the 49ers. The only way the two sides do not agree to terms is if another team is actually looking to give Hyder some hefty cash with a little more security.