The San Francisco 49ers have a salary cap reckoning on the horizon, and the team may be planning for eventualities with one of their best players by doing their research on possible replacement in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The San Francisco 49ers are right on the cusp of winning a Super Bowl title. The franchise has been two three NFC Conference Championships and a Superbowl over the last four years. However, maintaining a winning roster in the NFL is extremely difficult. Star players want to get paid and San Francisco has quite a few.
Related: San Francisco 49ers mock draft 2023 – Finding depth for championship roster
Heading into the offseason, the 49ers had a large amount of money invested in Trent Williams, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, and Deebo Samuel. They freed up a big chunk of cap space when Jimmy Garoppolo left in free agency, but they used much of that by signing Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jason Hargrave. And they may new problems in the future.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is quickly becoming a rising star and will be a free agent after 2024, and if quarterback Brock Purdy becomes their franchise QB, he too will be looking for a big payday down the road. It means the San Francisco 49ers have to plan long-term for their salary cap and prepare to develop new and cheaper stars because they can’t keep everyone.
San Francisco 49ers record (2022): 13-4, first place in NFC West
It seems that they might be doing just that when it comes to the tight end spot in the NFL Draft. On Thursday, ESPN draft expert Matt Miller reported an interesting bit of intel on the 49ers’ strategy for the big event starting April 27.
“The 49ers don’t have a selection in the top 95 picks and have a great tight end in George Kittle, but a source with knowledge of the team’s plans says they have done more work on that position than any other team they’ve encountered. With needs on the offensive line and secondary, it would be a surprise early selection but file this nugget away for early on Day 3 of the draft.”
– Matt Miller
Miller suggests Luke Schoonmaker of Michigan, Tucker Kraft from South Dakota, and Old Dominion talent Zack Kuntz could all be tight-end options for the San Francisco 49ers.
George Kittle is signed for three more seasons, but the team has out after this season. Kittle is owed over $27 million in the final two years of his deal.