The 49ers still do not know who will protect the blind side of their starting quarterback in 2021.
Or who will back up your starting quarterback.
The 49ers did not sign the Pro Bowl and left Trent Williams for a contract extension on Tuesday, and they did not agree to terms with one of the many free agent reserve quarterbacks, most of whom are now off the board. After Ryan Fitzpatrick (Washington) found a new home on Monday, Andy Dalton (Bears), Tyrod Taylor (Texans) and Jacoby Brissett (Dolphins) found landing points on the second and last day of the free agency’s legal tampering period . Players can sign contracts on Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
General manager John Lynch acknowledged last month that the 49ers had to update as a reserve defender, noting the 49ers record of 6-17 when Jimmy Garoppolo was sidelined due to injuries since 2018.
However, this week’s top priority, of course, is making sure they keep Williams, 32, who would play a key role in helping Garoppolo stay healthy.
The 49ers are reportedly favorites to sign Williams, but the eight-time selection in the Pro Bowl has drawn interest from teams including Chiefs, Colts and Bears. Williams is probably looking for a contract that would make him the highest-paid offensive striker in the NFL. That title is held by Green Bay’s left striker David Bakhtiari, who earns an average of $ 23 million a year. Williams said he is looking for a four to five year contract, and 49ers and other teams will have to consider how much guaranteed money to include in a long-term contract for a player who will turn 33 in July.
49ers can be forced out of their comfort zone if they want to keep Williams, given the potential for precipitation if they fail.
The free agent market is not inundated with state-of-the-art equipment. The most talented, Eric Fisher, of Kansas City, 30, is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury in January. Other options include Riley Reiff, Minnesota, 32, and Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh, 32. If Williams leaves, the odds would greatly increase that the 49ers would use his number 12 choice in position. The most logical option would be Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater, who said last week on his professional day that he had spoken to the 49ers.
With regard to free agent options in the backup quarterback, the list is much less attractive than on Monday. The 49ers, with Garoppolo as their likely starter, failed to match the opportunity and money that Washington and Chicago offered Fitzpatrick and Dalton, respectively. Both signed $ 10 million one-year deals and are expected to compete for a seat. Brissett and Taylor signed one-year contracts worth almost $ 6 million.
The best remaining 49ers options? They include Mitchell Trubisky from Chicago and Alex Smith from Washington. The 49ers would have had an interest in Jets’ Sam Darnold, who is not a free agent and would have to be purchased in exchange.
The 49ers did not add a free agent on Tuesday, but lost one when cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, 25, signed a $ 4 million one-year contract with the Seahawks. It was no surprise that the 49ers did not retain Witherspoon, a choice of the third round of 2017 whose inconsistent tenure was marked by brilliance and benchings.
Meanwhile, the wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was returned to the 49ers, at a cost.
In a bizarre transaction, Goodwin, who was negotiated with the Eagles in a draft day deal in April, reverted to the 49ers on Tuesday, the last day of the 2020 league year. Goodwin, 30, returned to the 49ers because the conditions of the exchange were not met after Goodwin gave up last season. As a result, the 49ers must give Philadelphia their own choice for 2021 in the seventh round. The 49ers now have nine choices in this draft.
The 49ers traded Goodwin last year in an exchange of choices in the sixth round, in which they moved up 20 places in the round. They are not expected to retain Goodwin, who can be released without financial penalties.
Eric Branch covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Eric_Branch