49ers sign center Alex Mack
The 49ers signed the former Cal center to a one-year deal in a move widely predicted, given Mack’s strong ties to Kyle Shanahan.
Kyle Shanahan’s wife, Mandy, his three children, and 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel are the only people who have joined him on each of his past three coaching stops.
But a player has joined that group: Alex Mack.
The 49ers signed the sixtime Pro Bowl center to a oneyear, $5.5 million contract Wednesday, a move that was widely predicted, given Mack’s strong ties to Shanahan. Mack, 35, also has ties to the Bay Area — he played at Cal after growing up in Southern California. NFL Network first reported the signing.
Shanahan views the center position as a vital spot in his offense. That’s why the 49ers signed Weston Richburg to a fiveyear, $47.5 million contract in 2018. However, the need arose again because Richburg is likely to retire this offseason after undergoing four surgeries since the end of the 2018 season.
Richburg’s pending exit cleared the way for the reunion. The Browns signed Mack when Shanahan was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator in 2014, and Atlanta signed Mack when Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2016.
Mack, the No. 21 pick in 2009 and a member of the NFL’s AllDecade Team of the 2010s, will join an offensive line that includes Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, who signed a sixyear, $138.06 contract extension Wednesday that made him the highestpaid offensive lineman in NFL history. The rest of the starting front five will include right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Laken Tomlinson. Daniel Brunskill is the mostly likely option to start at right guard.
Mack is known for his durability. He has started all 16 games in 10 of his 12 NFL seasons and has missed just two of 96 games since 2015. Richburg has missed 32 of 64 games since 2017.
Meanwhile, the 49ers also addressed their defensive front Wednesday by bringing back starting nose tackle D.J. Jones on a oneyear deal, a league source said.
Retaining Jones, 26, was a lowerwattage move, but an important one for the 49ers to maintain a stout run defense in which Jones has been at the center. Last year, the 49ers ranked seventh in the NFL in rush yards allowed per game (106.4) and sixth in yards allowed per attempt (4.0).
Jones, a 2017 sixthround pick, had 20 tackles and a careerhigh three sacks. Notably, Jones, who missed 18 games because of injuries in his first three season, started 14 of 16 games.
It appears the 49ers will spend most of their salarycap space on retaining their players. They have kept Williams, Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerbacks Jason Verrett with extensions this week.
On Wednesday, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas was added to their freeagent departures, a group that includes cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (Seahawks) and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (Patriots).
Thomas, the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft who has six sacks in 48 career games, signed a oneyear deal with a maximum value of $5 million with the Raiders, NFL Network reported. Thomas suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season. He was expected to seek a fresh start after failing to realize draftday expectations with the 49ers.