The San Francisco 49ers' offseason has been a tumultuous one at best, with a flurry of departures and retirements on the defense forcing new head coach Jim Tomsula and the front office to mitigate the damage as best as possible.
With that all in mind, there's still plenty of time for the 49ers to do some impactful work in free agency to help with that, as you will see in our 49ers Rumors: Free Agency Roundup For Saturday 3/22.
49ers to invest in the inside linebacker position?
After losing Chris Borland to retirement this week, the 49ers must decide whether or not to add a veteran linebacker from the current crop of free agents left on the market. Right now, the top three options left unsigned are Brandon Spikes, Mason Foster, and Rolando McClain -- not exactly a marquee grouping.
However, former Bucs LB Mason Foster might have enough going for him to pique the Niners' interest. As Niners Nation's David Fucillo points out, "Foster is the most intriguing of the group, but that also could make him a little more pricey than the 49ers would be willing to go."
He does have tremendous upside (and less baggage than someone like McClain, who's facing a four-game substance-abuse suspension), but it still remains to be see if the 49ers are willing to plunk down the coin to bring him in.
Some wiggle room under the cap
The San Francisco 49ers have a little bit of financial flexibility to play with to land a linebacker like talked about above or to address another need on either offense or defense.
Per ESPN Stats & Ino, the 49ers have just under $14.82 million in cap space as of Sunday.
While they don't have a crazy amount to throw around after inking Reggie Bush to a deal, the 49ers have enough to make a little bit of noise if they want to.
Chris Borland repaying 3/4 of signing bonus
The 49ers will be receiving a check following young linebacker Chris Borland's retirement, as Borland is planning to pay back $463,077 of the $617,436 signing bonus he received as a third-round draft pick.
"To play one year, it's not a cash grab as I've been accused of. I'm paying back three-fourths of my signing bonus. I'm only taking the money I've earned," Borland said, via ESPN.com.
Borland, 24, retired this offseason due to fears of future brain injuries as an NFL player.
Follow our San Francisco 49ers team page for the latest 49ers rumors!
Back to the San Francisco 49ers Newsfeed