The fullback has become somewhat of a dying position in today’s pass-happy NFL. The Kyle Juszczyk free agency will be huge for the San Francisco 49ers this off-season, though. He is tremendously important to what they do on offense.
Kyle Juszczyk Free Agency Pivotal for 49ers
It’s easy to dismiss the necessity of bringing back Juszczyk, who’s an impending free agent. The diminished influence of the position relative to what offenses around the rest of the league are deploying hints that a fullback just isn’t as important as it once was. However, Juszczyk is one of the most important players on this 49ers offense. He helps make possible this dynamic run game.
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His football IQ is off the charts. He has both the smarts and athleticism to function as an elite lead blocker. The pure speed of guys like Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, and Matt Breida out of this backfield has gotten most of the attention in this run game. Those big plays they’ve pulled off don’t happen in a vacuum, though. Juszczyk has been the one helping to create those running lanes. Those chunks of yards on the ground help open up the passing game through the play-action. Even at a position with decreased relevance around the rest of the league, Juszczyk is one of the major components that makes this offense so explosive.
Aside from the excellent lead-blocking ability, he also serves as a nice pass-catching option out of the backfield. He has far more big-play capabilities than the typical fullback. Juszczyk has averaged over ten yards per catch each of the last three seasons. He also has receptions of over 40 yards in each of the previous five seasons. That type of threat in the passing game isn’t typical for a fullback. It serves as more evidence of how talented he is.
Within a running game built around speedy running backs, Juszczyk can provide a bit of thunder as a part of an attack primarily based on lightning. The roster typically has not possessed a prototypical bruising tank at the running back position to churn out hard-fought yards in short-yardage situations. He has been relied upon to muscle forward for first downs in third and fourth-and-short situations.
Kyle Juszczyk Hits Free Agency as Elite Fullback
Juszczyk signed with the 49ers before the 2017 season. He was coming off a Pro Bowl appearance in 2016 with the Baltimore Ravens. The signing has tremendously benefited the 49ers. Juszczyk has cemented himself as the premier fullback in the league. He has made the Pro Bowl in all four seasons with the 49ers.
At the time, many thought it was an odd move from the new front office and coaching staff. The fullback position was well out of vogue by that time. Juszczyk had just gotten a four-year contract worth $21 million. That was the most lucrative contract ever for a fullback. Kyle Shanahan had a vision for how he wanted to run this offense, though. His offensive philosophy required an athletic and savvy fullback like Juszczyk to be that lead blocker out of the backfield.
It’s harder than typical to forecast the type of deal Juszczyk could be expected to get on the open market this off-season. After all, not every team even has a fullback anymore. For a team that wishes to rely on the same type of rushing attack the 49ers have utilized in recent years, they could easily justify giving a nice contract to Juszczyk. If his last contract is any barometer for what he can get this go around, Juszczyk signed that just before turning 26, but with only one Pro Bowl appearance under his belt. Four years later, he’s about to turn 30 at a position that doesn’t always have a long shelf life. However, he has four consecutive Pro Bowls. That shows that he is arguably the premier option at that position.
Big Decisions for 49ers in Free Agency
Trent Williams deserves to be the main free-agent priority for the 49ers to bring back this off-season. There’s a real case that the next highest priority should be Juszczyk, though. Whether they agree to retain Williams will severely impact the remaining cap space to bring back their other free agents. There is always the possibility of clearing up space by releasing a contract with low dead cap value but significant cap savings. Jimmy Garoppolo remains the prime candidate for that route.
According to Spotrac, the 49ers currently have about $18.8 million in total cap space. That total is around what Williams could cost. If Williams comes back and no other players currently on this roster are released, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which Juszzczyk could be brought back within that context. However, there is always the option to free up more space by releasing a hefty contract with not much dead cap for next season. Releasing Garoppolo would allow the 49ers much more financial flexibility to bring back other free agents besides Williams. According to Spotrac, if Garoppolo were to be released, the $18.8 million in cap space would increase to about $42.2 million. Of course, that would open up a void at quarterback. However, it’s something the team could address with their number 12 overall pick in the upcoming draft at a much smaller contract figure than Garoppolo had.
All three of Williams, Juszczyk, and Garoppolo probably will not be on the roster next season. The only way seems to be if Garoppolo restructures his current deal. There will be some difficult decisions this front office has to make this off-season. Most of those decisions go back to Garoppolo in at least an indirect way. His contract situation looms large.
The economic realities of this league might ultimately make it impossible for the 49ers to bring back Juszczyk. That’s a decision they should not make lightly, though. Juszczyk is crucial to how this offense functions. It would not be easy to replace him.
The team is going to have to priories some off-season goals over others. They need to exhaust all options to bring back Juszczyk, though.
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