The 49ers weren’t very active on the first day of the free agency legal negotiating window, but they did see two of their unrestricted free agents land deals with other clubs. Left guard Laken Tomlinson earned a three-year deal with the Jets early Monday, and later in the day reports surfaced of defensive lineman DJ Jones getting a three-year deal to join the Broncos.
Jones’ three-year pact is worth up to $30 million, a $10 million average annual value that went well above what the 49ers were going to be able to afford.
It’s not a surprise to see Jones exit on a sizable contract after four very productive years with San Francisco where he got better in each year. In 2021 he posted a career-high 24 pressures and tallied 2.0 sacks. Jones regularly made plays that didn’t show in the box score though by knifing through offensive lines to blow up runs while spearheading one of the NFL’s top run defenses last year.
With Jones exiting, the door opens for players like Kevin Givens and Javon Kinlaw to take over as the starting nose tackle.
