49ers of San Francisco are questioned over a “expensive” signing.
A strong pass rush has been the San Francisco 49ers‘ top priority during their recent winning streak; however, general manager John Lynch may have overpaid for former Carolina Panther Yetur Gross-Matos this offseason during NFL free agency. The 26-year-old Gross-Matos agreed to a two-year, $18 million contract with the 49ers in hopes of starting opposite Nick Bosa in the front seven.
However, Pro Football Focus cites Gross-contract Matos’ as one of the largest overpayments in free agency history. Gordon McGuinness of PFF comments, “Gross-Matos is a former second-round draft pick who is just 26 years old.” Therefore, it makes sense that a team would believe he has room for improvement. Nevertheless, he had a great year in 2023, earning a 65.4 overall and a 65.2 pass-rush grade. Neither of these grades placed him in the top 50 edge defenders for the previous campaign.
What The San Francisco 49ers Get From Yetur Gross-Matos Even while Gross-Matos has never quite lived up to his reputation as a second-round pick, it’s not hard to see that a move to one of the more consistently powerful defensive lines might bring out the best in the former Penn State star.
Gross-Matos only had 13 sacks when he gets to the Bay Area. However, the fourth-year edge rusher added 19 pressures in 2023, as noted by PFF. Now that he’s a part of a team that is among the favourites to win the NFC title and play opposite Bosa in the Super Bowl in February, Gross-Matos could challenge Leonard Floyd for the starting spot and provide valuable, seasoned depth to the front seven.
What is the 49ers’ greatest unmet need right now? The San Francisco 49ers have a great roster on both sides of the ball, but their work may not be finished this offseason. Lynch and the Niners might need to improve the offensive line in front of Brock Purdy after the Chiefs applied a lot of pressure towards the end of the Super Bowl defeat.