3 Players Who Won't Be on the 49ers' Roster Next Season

The San Francisco 49ers look like a sleeping giant for 2021. Following a near Super Bowl-winning season in 2019, San Francisco fell apart in 2020, losing a litany of key players due to injuries. But starters like Nick Bosa, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel should be back to full strength next year.

The 49ers are also armed with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and have more than $20 million in available cap space. That gives the team a ton of flexibility to re-tool for a bounce-back 2021 campaign.

But if San Francisco is looking to make some splashy additions in the offseason, GM John Lynch will likely need to part ways with some solid contributors. Here are three 49ers that might not be on the roster in 2021.

3. Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback

Jimmy Garoppolo is probably the most obvious name on this list. When healthy, he is clearly at least a starting-caliber QB. But his injury history is an ever-present part of the Jimmy G narrative. He's now missed double-digit games in two of the past three seasons, and this team goes as he does. In his lone 16-game season, SF went to the Super Bowl. But the 49ers went a combined 10-22 in his injury-riddled 2018 and 2020 campaigns. It's not hard to see why the organization might prefer a steady, reliable presence at QB instead of the rollercoaster that Jimmy G has been. Lynch can also get out of his deal with a minimal $2.8 million dead cap hit in 2021. If San Francisco can get a real upgrade, like trading for Deshaun Watson, Jimmy G is as good as gone. But he might stick around if the 49ers can't find a legitimate upgrade via the NFL Draft, free agency, or trade.

2. Dee Ford, EDGE

At this point, the 49ers would probably be best suited by moving on from Dee Ford. Since joining the team in 2019, Ford has only played a combined 12 games. And he only played one game last season. Not exactly what you want from a guy who accounts for over 10.0% of the team's cap. It's a bit complicated, but if Lynch can wait until after June 1 to cut or trade Ford, the team would free up around $16 million in cap space while only taking on $4 million in dead money. That's easier said than done for a variety of reasons, but it's doable. If he can pull it off, Lynch would surely rather use that $16 million on players who will actually see the field in 2021.

1. Trent Williams, OT, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers would love to get Trent Williams back. He was excellent in 2020, grading out as ProFootballFocus' highest-graded tackle. But he's set to hit the open market in the offseason, and that stellar campaign will make the 32-year-old attractive to pretty much every team in the league. He'd likely need to take a team-friendly deal to return to the Bay, as San Francisco can't compete in a bidding war against teams with way more money to burn.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.