49ers’ worst free-agent signings
Failures in free agency can mean either a player doesn’t live up to his pay scale, or, even worse, he hurts the team’s cause and chemistry. Some of the 49ers’ worst freeagent signings over the past 30 years have accompanied their worst teams, including recent ones under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
Here is a list of their 10 worst free agents:
1. Lawrence Phillips (1999): Thengeneral manager Bill Walsh hoped Phillips “deep troubles are behind him” and “you’ll find him to be very pleasant.” Nope. Phillips was canned four months into his two-year, $1.75 million deal. He infamously failed to block Aeneas Williams from a concussion-causing hit on Steve Young’s career-ending play. Phillips’ refusal to practice led to a suspension and expulsion. (He died by suicide in prison in 2016. He was 40.)
2. Gabe Wilkins (1998): Wilkins came from the Packers at a steep price (five years, $20 million). He missed half the 1998 season with lingering knee issues, totaled one sack in 1999 amid 15 starts, and then retired.
3. Jonas Jennings (2005): Protecting No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith’s blind side seemed smart yet expensive (seven years, $35 million). “I’m rollin’ with Nolan,” Jennings said upon arrival, nodding to firstyear coach Mike Nolan. The oft-injured Jennings missed 41 of 64 games. His final game was in Week 2 of 2008; Nolan’s finale was Week 7.
4. Antonio Langham (1998): Let this remind the current regime: not all teams’ first-round draft picks can be salvaged. Langham, the Browns’ top pick in 1994, had a dismal year with the 49ers before the Browns retrieved him in the expansion draft. That eased the financial blow from his 49ers’ deal (five years, $17 million). He drew five pass-interference penalties in his first four games as a Niner.
5. Pierre Garçon (2017): Wasn’t too shrewd to give a 31-year-old wide receiver a five-year, $47.5 million deal. He pocketed $22.8 million of it, all while missing eight games each of his two seasons because of neck and knee injuries. He had 40 catches for 500 yards in his first eight games, as the 49ers went 0-8.
6. Nate Clements (2007): This is more on the 49ers’ brass for luring Clements on a whopping deal (eight years, $80 million) despite being so far from serious contention. He had seven interceptions in 37 games, though he did fumble away an interception and the Atlanta Falcons converted it into a winning drive to drop the 2010 49ers to 0-4.
7. Malcolm Smith (2017) : It was one thing to grossly overpay (five years, $26.5 million) for a defensive leader who knew the scheme. But a pectoral tear kept Smith out in 2017, then injuries limited him to 12 games (just five starts) in ’18. They replaced him in 2019 with Kwon Alexander, another pricey linebacker who might make this list if not for his resilience and contagious energy in the 2019 Super Bowl run.
8. Antonio Bryant (2006): Hey, he led the 49ers in receiving yards his one, turbulent season. But 733 yards and three touchdowns didn’t justify his deal (four years, $14 million). Expediting his exit were run-ins with coach Nolan, plus a November arrest for a traffic stop that led to a suspension his final two games.
9. Jerick Mckinnon (2018): His rushing and receiving ability tempted the 49ers to spend big ($16.7 million over three years). An anterior cruciate ligament tear before the 2018 opener sabotaged his tenure. Follow-up surgery kept him out in 2019. He scored in each of the first four games in 2020 but ran out of steam and down the depth chart. He’s already bid farewell on social media.
10. Brian Hoyer (2017): Rather than draft Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson, coach Kyle Shanahan reunited with Hoyer, his 2014 Cleveland Browns quarterback, on a two-year, $12 million deal. Hoyer went 0-6 with four touchdowns and four interceptions before getting benched. Jimmy Garoppolo arrived via trade two weeks later, and Hoyer was released.
Honorable mention: Running back Johnny Johnson (1996), cornerback Mark Mcmillan (1999), linebacker Tully Banta-cain (2007), wide receiver Braylon Edwards (2011), running back Brandon Jacobs (2012), wide receiver Torrey Smith (2015) and punt returner Jarryd Hayne (2015).