When the 49ers' next general manager and coach settle into his office at Santa Clara, the first decision should be to determine which of the team's pending free agents are worth to keep.
Team executives Jed York and Paraag Marathe have a window in theor hands to talk with Kyle Shanahan, Super-Bowl bound Atlanta offensive coordinator starting this Friday evening and will be concluding by Saturday night.
During that time, the 49ers will hope to determine which of the team's general manager candidates is the best fit with Shanahan to organize all of team's footballing decisions. Until after the Super-Bowl 51 on February 5th, Shanahan is not allowed to be hired officially by the 49ers.
The 49ers have exclusive negotiating rights with all of their scheduled free agents through March 6. The window for open negotiating for all teams with all free agents runs from March 7 at 9 a.m. until March 9 at 1 p.m. The free-agent signing period begins after that.
Now, here's a look at top 5 of their scheduled free agents:
QB Colin Kaepernick: He is quite a different situation and is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract. If he does not opt out, then the 49ers would be likely to release him and avoid being on the hook for his scheduled $14.9 million pay.
QB Blaine Gabbert: Gabbert got his opportunity to start the season, but his sub-par play prompted coach Chip Kelly to bench him after five games. Towards the end of the season, he had sunk to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Kaepernick and Christian Ponder.
QB Christian Ponder: The player turns 29 next month and hasn't played in an NFL season game since 2014, there are not much evidence to support the argument for a contract offer.
QB Thad Lewis: He has already turned 29 and has not attempted a pass in an NFL season game since 2013, His season ended after the first exhibition game with a torn ACL.
RB Shaun Draughn: He is a good special-teams player and a solid pass-catcher out of the backfield, but has averaged just 2.6 yards on 74 rushing attempts as Carlos Hyde's primary backup. The 49ers will look to upgrade this position rather than giving him further opportunities.
In addition to the above and few other free agents, guard Andrew Tiller, RB DuJuan Harris, defensive backs Marcus Cromartie and Chris Davis are scheduled to be restricted free agents. The 49ers are allowed to retain their contract rights to those players with minimum possible tenders.
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