Commanders Signing Former 49ers DT Javon Kinlaw for 3 Years, $45 Mil

This is surprising.

The Washington Commanders are signing former 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a three-year, $45 million deal according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Commanders general manager Adam Peters was the 49ers assistant general manager when they drafted Kinlaw, so they know each other.

Still, $15 million per season is a shocking amount for a player who was considered a bust on the 49ers just a year ago.

The 49ers originally took Kinlaw with the 14th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They took him with the pick they received for trading DeForest Buckner, and they drafted Kinlaw to replace him. Even gave him Buckner's number 99.

And Kinlaw never lived up to the expectations the 49ers placed on him, mostly because he was injured. Kinlaw's knee was flagged as an issue at the NFL Scouting Combine before the 49ers even drafted him. And for the first three seasons of his career, he couldn't stay healthy.

But in 2023, Kinlaw played all 17 games for the 49ers. Then in 2024, he played all 17 games for the New York Jets. So he hasn't missed a game since 2022. And now he and his family are set for life financially. What a great ending to a rocky story.

The 49ers are now in the market for a defensive tackle because they still haven't found a replacement for Kinlaw. Expect them to draft one with their first-round pick.