© Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers have reportedly declined to pick up nose tackle Earl Mitchell’s contract option, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #49ers are not picking up the contract option for veteran DT Earl Mitchell, source said. A solid locker room presence and leader, he’ll be a free agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2019
Mitchell’s release creates opportunity for D.J. Jones, the team’s sixth-round pick in 2017, to take over the starting nose tackle role. Mitchell was benched over the final four games of the 2018 season in favor of Jones, who played well.
Mitchell joined the 49ers in 2017 after spending four years in Houston and three years in Miami. He was scheduled to make $3.7 million in salary and bonuses next season.
“Earl’s been a fantastic asset to this entire organization with all the things he’s done,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh told reporters Wednesday at the Senior Bowl. “It’s an opportunity for other guys to try to step up. It will not be easy to try to replace him, for sure.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated earlier this week the team would make imminent decisions on whether to retain both Mitchell and wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who has played in just 16 of 32 games with the 49ers over the past two years. Garcon regressed from 2017 to 2018, logging 24 catches for 286 yards and one touchdown in eight games played. He missed the final eight games of the season with a knee injury. If he is released, Kendrick Bourne, who led all 49ers receivers with 487 yards in 2018, would likely succeed him as the starting “Z” receiver in Shanahan’s offense. Garcon is scheduled to earn $6 million next season.
One more 49ers veteran falls into the same category as Mitchell and Garcon: linebacker Malcolm Smith. He, too, has struggled to stay healthy since joining the team two seasons ago. Smith missed all of 2017 with a torn pectoral. He battled achilles and hamstring injuries throughout an injury-plagued 2018 season in which he played in 12 games and started just five. The 49ers ultimately found production from rookie middle linebacker Fred Warner and second-year weak-side linebacker Elijah Lee, particularly down the stretch of this past season. Smith is scheduled to make about $4 million in 2019.
“(Mitchell, Garcon, and Smith) understand the business, and they understand how it works,” Shanahan said last month. “That’s stuff that you don’t ignore.”
The 49ers, which entered 2018 as the 10th-youngest team in the league, are continuing to stock their roster with young talent while opening cap space for an important free agent period. The 49ers are projected to have around $70 million in cap space.