Who will remain on the powerhouse San Francisco 49ers after the 2020 season?
The San Francisco 49ers were one quarter away from winning Super Bowl LIV, but succumbed to some fourth quarter magic from Patrick Mahomes. While the loss certainly stings for the 49ers, their team is built to make another run to the big game. On top of that, they actually made additional moves to make their roster even stronger entering 2020.
While that’s cool and all, general manager John Lynch has some big names that are in line for a huge pay day in the next year. To keep said premier players, other roster members will drop down San Francisco’s priority list and ultimately have to look for a new home in the NFL.
Here are three players most likely to be known as ex-49ers by 2021.
3
Ahkello Witherspoon
CB San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are set to become a perennial powerhouse in the NFC. But to ensure that, they’ll have to retain some key players. Perhaps the most important is Richard Sherman, who’s the best player in San Francisco’s secondary. Somebody has to go, and nobody fits the bill more than Ahkello Witherspoon.
San Francisco selected Witherspoon in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and was immediately thrusted into the starting lineup. In the past two seasons, Witherspoon allowed quarterback completion percentages slightly above 50%, but he was exposed to the big play. Witherspoon surrendered seven touchdowns in 2018 and six scores this past year. That’s not ideal from your number two cornerback on the roster.
If Witherspoon doesn’t step up his play this upcoming season, you can fully expect the 49ers to replace him in the 2021 NFL Draft.