The 30 best NFL players set to become free agents in 2023
By Ryan Heckman
30 best NFL free agents in 2023: Mike McGlinchey, OT
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Mike McGlinchey out of Notre Dame with the 9th overall pick out of back in 2018. He was coming to the league as one of the most rock-solid tackle prospects in recent memory, and was going to be an anchor for the Niners for years to come.
Fast forward to the present, and although the team exercised his fifth-year option, McGlinchey will now enter free agency in the spring. There is certainly reason to be skeptical about McGlinchey’s future in San Francisco, too, because he has not been as consistent in pass protection as you’d like to see if you’re a Niners fan.
In 2020, McGlinchey’s pass protection grade was just over 58, per Pro Football Focus. He did bounce back last season, earning a grade over 70. This year, so far, has been a mixed bag. PFF has him at a grade of 66.1 in that department. He has given up five sacks, which is far from ideal, especially on a team featuring oft-injured quarterbacks.
As we’ve established, though, tackle is a hard position to find and secure for the long haul. There are teams who need a tackle, badly, and will likely overpay for McGlinchey’s services. This could be a situation where we see him get well over $12-$15 million annually.