49ers re-sign Jake Brendel as they aim for needed continuity at center
The 49ers re-signed center Jake Brendel to a four-year deal worth up to $20 million, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The contract includes $8 million guaranteed. Brendel ranked No. 111 on The Athletic’s list of top 150 free agents.
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How he fits: Kyle Shanahan’s offense requires competent play from the center position because he’s in charge of the communication process up front. Shanahan also asks his centers to make difficult blocks in space to support the team’s zone-running scheme. Brendel proved capable of executing the necessary tasks as the starting center in 2022, and now the 49ers are set to enjoy continuity at this important position in the middle of the offensive line.
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2023 impact: Consider the significant level of investment the 49ers have poured into the center position since Shanahan’s arrival. They gave Weston Richburg a $47.5 million deal in 2018 and signed longtime stalwart Alex Mack in 2021. Both of those players retired before playing out their contracts, though — and the 49ers ran into especially acute problems at center in 2020 when Richburg was unavailable due to injury. They were able to avoid similar issues in 2022 after Brendel successfully took over the position following Mack’s departure.
That’s all to say that Brendel’s impact should be one of providing stability that Shanahan’s offense has struggled to deliver whenever it hasn’t fielded a fixture at center.
History: Brendel, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016, finally got a chance to start for the 49ers in 2022. His connection to the franchise came courtesy of 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who coached Brendel at the start of his career in Miami.
Over the years, Brendel developed from an exceptionally athletic-yet-light prospect into a center who’s firmly capable of anchoring against bull rushes. Brendel definitively proved that this past season, finishing No. 3 in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency among centers.
“It’s been an uphill battle, starting from me being undrafted to a few injuries early in my career,” Brendel said after the 2022 49ers’ season ended. “Those things are in the past. I truthfully feel like my career is just starting right now.”
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Cap update: Brendel’s deal is worth $5 million annually, which is roughly equal to the contract Mack signed with the team in 2021. Contract structure is not yet available, but the 49ers likely did some more backloading with this contract.
After restructuring cornerback Charvarius Ward’s contract to free up about $10 million of 2023 salary-cap room on Tuesday morning, the 49ers had about $3 million of space. Brendel’s contract should land them right at the limit, so the 49ers may have to execute more financial gymnastics to be cap compliant by Wednesday’s start of the new league year.
Outlook: The 49ers made a massive splash on the defensive side of the ball to open the tampering period on Monday. Re-signing Brendel marks a needed investment on offense. But more work is still necessary up front. The 49ers should be interested in acquiring talent capable of competing with Colton McKivitz at right tackle. The O-line also still needs more depth, so a re-signing of Daniel Brunskill also seems likely.
But establishing continuity at center was the most pressing issue up front, and the 49ers addressed it by retaining Brendel.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
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