three explanation why the San Francisco 49ers are the largest loser within the Julio Jones commerce
The San Francisco 49ers were against Julio Jones before Sunday’s blockbuster deal that sent him from the Atlanta Falcons to the Tennessee Titans.
It made sense since Jones’ previous relationship with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan went back to their days together in Atlanta. The 49ers’ questionable wide receiver situation behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel added another layer.
Whatever the reason, San Francisco couldn’t close the deal. Instead, the Titans grabbed Jones for a second and fourth round to team up with stud receiver AJ Brown for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. That’s a solid number for a seven-time Pro Bowl recipient who has still proven to be dominant on the field.
Meanwhile, Falcons new general manager Terry Fontenot was able to get value for the high-priced seasoned receiver while cutting a ton of salary. It can be argued that both the Titans and the Hawks were winners here. The San Francisco 49ers? Not as much. Here are three reasons for that.
The San Francisco 49ers still can’t close the deal with a wide receiver
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I get it. The 49ers have had great success in recent drafts with both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. That’s all well and good. However, the team’s inability to land a proven # 1 recipient for head coach Kyle Shanahan is a bit of a concern. In 2019, San Francisco felt like it had the best deal on the table for then New York Giants recipient Odell Beckham Jr. before it was dealt to the Cleveland Browns. Reports have since surfaced suggesting that Giants general manager David Gettleman did not want to trade OBJ with an NFC rival. It’s hard to blame the 49ers for that.
Other than that, it’s just a continuation of the struggles the 49ers had to land proven recipients through either the free agency or the commercial market. In March, San Francisco hadn’t even got its feet wet when it came to top-end receivers on the open market. These included Corey Davis, Kenny Golladay, and Curtis Samuel – the latter would have fitted very nicely in the slot. In 2020, San Francisco refused to sign Emmanuel Sanders again and did not bid for another slot type in Robby Anderson.
On the way to the training camp, there will be an open competition for the wide receiver spot No. 3 and the top slot position in Santa Clara. This includes former third-round pick Jalen Hurd, who missed his first two NFL seasons due to injury. It also contains veteran cstoffs like Mohamed Sanu and Bennie Fowler. This could be the doom of the 49ers in 2021.
About the “aggressive” nature of the San Francisco 49ers
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General Manager John Lynch and Co. shocked the football world at the start of this off-season by breaking the 12th. This was the culmination of an aggressive tenure for Lynch in San Francisco.
The 49ers built a championship caliber roster by trading with the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Laken Tomlinson, Trent Williams, Dee Ford, and the aforementioned Sanders. While this had consequences for both the salary cap and the draft, these deals also worked for the most part.
Sure, the 49ers are limited when it comes to draft picks to offer in blockbuster trades after moving two future first rounds and a 2022 third round into the Lance blockbuster. That’s all well and good. However, it must be possible to strike a balance between winning now and preparing for the future. A second-round pick and a mid-round pick wouldn’t have handcuffed the 49ers too much. It would have made their offensive pretty unstoppable too.
The NFL salary cap is an invention of our imagination
09/20/2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch (left) shakes hands with head coach Kyle Shanahan after beating the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
That might sound a bit hyperbolic. But check out what the Titans did to get Julio Jones. Tennessee was about $ 2 million under the ceiling before earning the future Hall of Fame recipient. The 49ers? They are currently at $ 17.36 million below the cap.
Of course, every team has different situations on their squad. For the 49ers, this includes the need to sign all-pro linebacker Fred Warner for a massive contract extension this off-season. With that in mind, San Francisco is sitting back and ready to pay Garoppolo $ 26.38 million against the cap, even after adding his eventual heir. The 49ers could also have created more wiggle room by adding Laken Tomlinson and Jimmie Ward, two players who fit into their long-term futures.
What does it all mean? The NFL salary cap for 2022 could climb to $ 208.2 million after a sharp drop in the coming season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will skyrocket in 2023 when the NFL’s new television deal comes into play. With a salary cap guru in President Paraag Marathe, the San Francisco 49ers could have done this job very well. Unfortunately, they couldn’t close the deal. This could have a big impact on San Francisco’s status as the top-end title contender in 2021 after an injury-ridden campaign in 2020.
All of this makes the San Francisco 49ers the biggest loser when it comes to Sunday blockbuster Julio Jones against the Tennessee Titans.
