Versatile back will move to the front
With Hyde gone, 49ers get McKinnon to start and be the workhorse
SANTACLARA>> It’s now up to Jerick McKinnon to show why he commanded a bidding war and a lucrative deal Wednesday as the 49ers new running back.
“Jer ick ha s proven to be an extremely versatile football player whose speed, elusiveness and tackle- breaking ability make him a very difficult matchup for defenses,” general manager John Lynch said in a statement.
Speed. Versatility. Matchup nightmare. That aptly defines what coach Kyle Shanahan wants in any player, especially a running back, and McKinnon stands to thrive as a rusher and pass catcher alongside quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The 25-year- old McKinnon, after four years as mostly a Minnesota Vikings reserve, will become a full-time back for the first time as he replaces Carlos Hyde, who
returned to his native Ohio and signed with the Cleveland Browns (three years, $15 million, per multiple reports).
An introductory press conference is slated for today at 49ers headquarters.
The 49ers beat out the New York Jets for McKinnon, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The price tag: a four-year deal that could top out at $36.9 million, although the 49ers can likely escape from it after two years with less financial damage.
McKinnon stands to make $11.7 million in 2018 —$2 million signing bonus, $ 4.2 million salary, $ 5.5 million roster bonus — before the contract ramps up the final two years, including a $6.9 million option in 2021 with a $6.9million salary, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Opening running lanes and springing interior-zone blocks will be the 49ers’ other high- priced acquisition Wednsday: Weston Richburg, who landed $16.5 million guaranteed as part of a five-year, $47.5 million pact, NFL Media.
The 49ers also predictably re- signed linebacker Brock Coyle (three years, $11.5 million with $4.1 million guaranteed, per NFL
Media).
Swapping out Hyde for the 5- foot- 9, 205- pound McKinnon is a major move.
Hyde, successor to 49ers all- time rushing leader Frank Gore, had a respectable tenure but never quite fulfilled expectations as a 2014 second-round draft pick who battled injuries and a sub-par supporting cast until Garoppolo’s arrival.
He certainly gave the 49ers an up- close look at his potential last season. Then again, he was a blur as he sped by on a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown during an August exhibition in Minnesota.
When McKinnon needs relief in the 49ers backfield, it will come in the form of a fellow Georgia Southern product, Matt Breida, who opened eyes with his own speed as an undrafted rookie last year while backing up Hyde.
McKinnon and Breida overlapped on Georgia Southern’s 2013 team, and McKinnon capped that season with a winning touchdown run in a 26-20 upset at Florida.
Breida welcomed McKinnon to the 49ers with a tweet showcasing pictures of the duo’s Georgia Southern and NFL days, noting: “Cheetah and the Jet in the Bay! Let’s go Niner Faithful!” That would be Breida as “Cheetah,” with McKinnon bringing a “Jet” nickname
back to a 49ers franchise where Hall of Famer Joe “The Jet” Perry once roamed in the 1950s.
In starting just 14 of 58 games — those starts often came in place of an injured Adrian Peterson — McKinnon has totaled 1,918 rushing yards and 984 receiving yards. He has just seven career rushing touchdowns to gowith five receiving touchdowns.
In McKinnon’s Vikings finale, he had more receptions (11) than carries (10) in their NFC Championship Game loss at Philadelphia. He ran for just 40 yards that game, after totaling eight carries for 34 yards and a touchdown in a playoff thriller over New Orleans.
Last regular season, McKinnon made only one start, totaling 150 carries for 573 yards and three touchdowns, plus 51 receptions for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
When hot- shot rookie Dalvin Cook sustained a season- ending knee injury in Week 4, the Vikings divided their rushing duties between Latavius Murray and McKinnon.
Breida (5- foot-11, 190 pounds) and McKinnon (5- 9, 205) aren’t big but they are blazing fast. Breida clocked a 4.37- second 40-yard dash at last year’s Georgia Southern pro day, and McKinnon ran a 4.41-second 40 at the 2014
combine, the same time as 49ers 2017 fourth- round pick Joe Williams.
• Lynch gave no indication whether Richburg will supplant center Daniel Kilgore or vie for either guard position. The 26-yearold Richburg, 6-foot- 4, 300 pounds, started at left guard his rookie year with the NewYork Giants in 2014 before switching to center, and he missed the remaining 12 games last season after sustaining a concussion.
“We see Weston as one of the top young interior offensive linemen in the NFL,” Lynch said in a statement. “His athleticism, intelligence and attitude are a perfect fit for our scheme.”
• Coyle returns after starting 10 games last season and partnering with fellow inside linebacker Reuben Foster over the second half of last season.
“He’s a selfless guy that does everything the right way,” Shanahan said in a statement. “We’ve always known Brock to be a guy we can count on and it was great to see him play the way he did when given the opportunity.”
Coyle landed a threeyear deal worth up to $11.5 million with $4.1 million guaranteed, NFL Media reported. He is coming off shoulder surgery, and, if healthy, will at least add depth in case Foster faces NFL discipline because of offseason arrests.
• Defensive back Jimmie Ward is switching to No. 20 while Richard Sherman takes No. 25.
• Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is being pursued by the 49ers, Rams and Browns, according to NFL Media. Pryor is going on his seventh team since joining the Raiders in 2011 out of
Ohio State.
• Guard Brandon Fusco, last season’s starting right guard, signed with the Atlanta Falcons (three years, $12.75 million).
• Former Seahawks cornerback DeShaun Shead, who was slated to visit the 49ers, signed with the Detroit Lions.