San Francisco 49ers free agency 2018: Top 5 targets
By Joe Romano
There are very few teams the enter the offseason with more excitement than the San Francisco 49ers. Here are the top five targets they should target in free agency.
What an odd season for the San Francisco 49ers. They entered the year with a new head coach and question marks across the roster.
That new coach, Kyle Shanahan, looks like a home run. Some of their roster questions were also answered with a solid draft class.
The biggest moment of their season did not happen until the trade deadline. A single move changed the fate of this franchise drastically. The New England Patriots shipped backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick. It was a gamble by both franchises. After starting five games its apparent that the gamble paid off for San Francisco.
Is there any athlete in the Bay Area outside of maybe Stephen Curry that has a higher Q rating than Garoppolo? The team ended the season on a five game winning streak after inserting him into the starting lineup. It was odd because Garoppolo was not out here throwing five touchdowns every game. The team responded to his leadership and looked like an entirely different squad.
Now the 49ers are not only a young and up-and-coming team, but may be the number one destination for free agents. They have very few impact free agent decisions to make from their own players.
Garoppolo himself is a free agent. Even if the team can not come to terms on a long term deal, they will franchise him and work on it during the season. He is not going anywhere.
Their other free agents are safety Eric Reid, running back Carlos Hyde, edge rusher Aaron Lynch and guard Brandon Fusco. All four were starters but none are so valuable that San Francisco would prioritize them over some other free agents they can sign.
Another positive thing going for San Francisco is their cap sheet. They have the most money to spend on free agency this offseason. Without the cap hit for Garoppolo (estimated $23.5 million for the franchise tag) they are sitting at over $110 million.
These are the five names they should attack with their money.