Niners Skip Five-Year Option, Focus on Extensions

0:00It's April 25th. You're listening to NFL News today, AI-powered NFL coverage. The San Francisco 49ers traded out of the first round this week, leaving them without a top pick and no shot at that fifth year option for. Rookies. You know, that fully guaranteed one-year deal teams can trigger after a first rounder's third season. Starting with their second round grab of the John Stribbling, they skipped that tool entirely. Since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took the reins in 2017, the Niners have grabbed seven first round talents. Guys who hit that eligibility mark include names like Solomon Thomas, Mike McGlinchee, Nick Bosa, Javan Kenlaw, and Brandon Ayukh, plus a couple, others who bounced early. Fans might sweat the loss, but check the track record, only McGlinchee got that fifth year extension, keeping him for one more year before free agency. Stars like Bosa and Ayukh, they held out and locked in richer long-term deals instead, dodging the option altogether. The rest either under-produced, like Kenlaw and Thomas, so no option made sense, or they

1:04just didn't stick around. Out of those seven, just one-use total shows, it's not their go-to move anyway. Bottom line, the Niners build around extensions for keepers, or cut bait on the rest, so missing this perk won't derail their roster flow one bit.