49ers’ signing of Leonard Floyd dubbed ‘smart investment’
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports recently assessed the five smartest free agency deals so far, with one San Francisco 49ers acquisition making the cut. Kerr ranked the team’s signing of defensive end Leonard Floyd as the second-best move, trailing only the Houston Texans’ acquisition of Danielle Hunter.
San Francisco secured Floyd on a two-year, $20 million deal at the start of free agency, adding a perfect complementary piece to a defensive line that features Nick Bosa on the opposite end.
The 49ers had been pursuing another bookend for their defensive front, and they may have found their answer in Floyd following last season’s acquisition of Chase Young, which failed to yield the desired results. Young has since joined the New Orleans Saints.
“The 49ers decided to move on from Chase Young this offseason in favor of Floyd, who is 31 years old and still one of most productive pass rushers in football,” Kerr wrote. “Floyd is one of three players with 9+ sacks in each of the last four seasons (Myles Garrett and Haason Reddick are the others), and is coming off a season in which he had 10.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, and an 11.3% pressure rate.”
Floyd, 31, has recorded 370 tackles, including 63 for a loss, 122 quarterback hits, 58 sacks, two safeties, 14 passes defensed, two interceptions, a touchdown, and four forced fumbles in 121 game appearances (120 starts) in his eight NFL seasons.
“With Nick Bosa on the other end, the opportunities will be there for Floyd to live up to that $10 million average salary (and $12 million of the contract is guaranteed),” Kerr added. “The highest cap number San Francisco will even have is $10.108 million, in 2025.
“Paying a 31-year-old pass rusher can be risky, but Floyd is a smart investment for being a No. 2 pass rusher on a defensive line with Bosa and Javon Hargrave.”
For Floyd, joining the 49ers offers an opportunity to contend for a championship. Signing with a winning organization was a priority in his free-agency search.
“What led me to them was, from the outside looking in, I knew this was a team that was ready for a Super Bowl run,” Floyd stated last month. “I ain’t want to go to a team and not be in a position to not be able to play in the playoffs or win a championship. So I came here with aspirations of coming in, helping the defense out to win games, and getting back to the big game.”
Report it.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Details emerge on Leonard Floyd’s 2-year deal with 49ers
At the start of free agency, the San Francisco 49ers signed defensive end Leonard Floyd to a two-year deal worth $20 million, with $12 million guaranteed. It has been the team’s most significant offseason move thus far.
OverTheCap.com recently revealed Floyd’s contract details. While the deal may be for two years, three void years are attached to the contract, allowing the defensive end’s $10.79 million signing bonus to be spread through 2028.
Floyd’s impact in 2024 is minimal. He is scheduled to earn a guaranteed $1.21 million base salary and count only $3.418 million against this year’s salary cap.
The following are the details of Floyd’s
49ers Notebook: Crucial offseason for Purdy; O-line confidence; Shanahan on new kickoff rule, Dobbs signing; Hufanga eyes training camp return
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have to field as many quarterback questions as he did a year ago after Brock Purdy underwent surgery, the arrival of Sam Darnold, and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Trey Lance. The quarterback situation is clearer now than it has been in recent years.
For Purdy, this offseason holds significant importance. It marks the first time he can focus on on-field improvement during minicamps, OTAs, and training camp. While he had this opportunity as a rookie in 2022, he was buried on the depth chart, limiting his practice reps.
Last year, Purdy was still recovering from surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He didn’t get to throw to his teammates until training camp in
49ers met with Buffalo LB Joe Andreessen at college showcase
Justin Melo of The Draft Network reports that the San Francisco 49ers were among the teams that met with Buffalo linebacker Joe Andreessen at the College Gridiron Showcase in January.
.@UBFootball LB Joe Andreessen had 90 tackles + 12 TFLs this season.#Bills have shown consistent interest. Also met #49ers,
Can Players from Smaller Schools Provide Value for the 49ers in the NFL Draft?
With the NFL Draft looming, the 49ers and their fans face one burning question: how can the team find impact players despite picking second-to-last in the draft order? The team, for its part, is scouting players and meeting with potential picks. But given the Niners’ late draft pick, fans want to know if there’s a way to tell which players are future superstars that the rest of the league is overlooking.
As always, every analyst has their pet theory for what signals future greatness in the NFL. One theory, debated every year, centers on what college a player attended. This makes sense because college football doesn’t have the parity of the NFL. Teams in college play vastly
