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The 49ers’ stated aim of this offseason, at least from what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, was to run it back. Apart from the massive trade of DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, they’ve held true to their word.
The 49ers tendered both Kendrick Bourne and Matt Breida at the second-round levels. That amount will cost the 49ers $3,259,000 for each and in part, could have been used because both Bourne and Breida were undrafted rookie free agents, so an original round tender wouldn’t provide any innate return via draft picks.
If another team wants to sign either of them, the 49ers will have the chance to match those offers, and will be due a second-round pick if either leave in free agency. The second-round tender is not surprising for Bourne, who ranked 10th in the NFL last season in percentage of catches for first downs (23/30, 76.7 percent) in the regular season.
He became the clear No. 3 option and first-down fiend for the 49ers, making consistent, key catches especially on third downs.
Breida’s tender is slightly surprising given the fact that he fell out of favor in the second half of the season due to injuries and fumbles and did not play a snap in the Super Bowl. The one consideration with both of these deals is that the 49ers were able to keep the cap hits of Jimmie Ward and Arik Armstead at a very low level for the 2020 season, with OverTheCap reporting those numbers at $6 million and $4.5 million, respectively.
That leaves possibilities open elsewhere, and provided the opportunity to ensure Breida and Bourne stay, or at least recoup substantial draft capital.
