49ers’ offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey is set to play through the fifth-year option of his rookie contact this season. McGlinchey has been a bit of a mixed-bag for the Niners early on in his career. While grading out as one of the league’s better run-blockers, McGlinchey struggled early in pass protection. Just as he was beginning to show some real improvement in the passing game, McGlinchey saw his season come to an end in Week 9 of this past season after suffering a torn quadriceps.
While McGlinchey’s cap hit for 2022 will be $10.88M, the 49ers have nothing to gain by cutting him, as the fifth-year option for a rookie is fully guaranteed. The team does hold two options to potentially avoid the 27-year-old’s cap hit: they can trade him or extend him. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, there is a chance that the 49ers sign McGlinchey to an extension in order to create more cap space. They would be betting on McGlinchey coming back strong from his injury, but they seem to feel good about the progress in play he showed before his injury last year.
Here are a few other notes from the NFC West, starting with a note from Seattle:
- After breaking his ankle in Week 17 of the season this past year, Seahawks’ safety Quandre Diggs is expected to be fully cleared for all football activities by June, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Diggs is set to test free agency this offseason and teams will likely take his injury recovery into account. It’s impressive progress for the 29-year-old as his doctors say he is recovering well.
- The Rams are hiring TCU running backs coach/assistant head coach Ra’Shaad Samples as their new running backs coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Samples is highly regarded as one of the up-and-coming coaches in football earning his first NFL job at the age of 27. In a corresponding move, assistant head coach Thomas Brown will now be coaching tight ends.
- Edge-rusher Jachai Polite, who spent 11 games with the Rams in 2020 after being cut by the Jets before his rookie season, has made the move to the Canadian Football League. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the former third-round pick signed a contract to join the Toronto Argonauts.
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