The San Francisco 49ers may have their focus on the 2022 NFL draft, but there’s a looming decision that the Niners organization will have to account for.
This time of the NFL offseason is all about a team’s new faces, and the draft will bring a whole new crop of players to Santa Clara, California. However, San Francisco may have to address a new positional area after a recent report from San Francisco Chronicle reporter Eric Branch.
Branch revealed on April 19 that starting center Alex Mack is still considering retiring before the 2022 season. Mack is 36-years-old and just completed his 13th season in the league, and his first season as a 49er after following head coach Kyle Shanahan to California.
“Nine days before the NFL draft, #49ers center Alex Mack, 36, is still mulling retirement, a source told the @sfchronicle,” Branch Tweeted on Tuesday.
Mack is a relatively new member of the 49ers, but the longtime veteran and seven-time Pro Bowl center’s presence is one San Francisco would love to have. Shanahan already lost longtime starting guard Laken Tomlinson, and keeping the offensive line up to par and intact is critical.
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Mack at End of Possible Hall of Fame Career
For anyone that follows the NFL broadly or knows their offensive lineman, Mack’s track record and accomplishments aren’t anything new. Alongside seven Pro Bowl selections, Mack also earned three second-team All-Pro selections.
Two of those three selections came when Mack first worked under Shanahan as an Atlanta Falcon. But before his five seasons in Atlanta, Mack’s most recognizable stint was with the Browns, where he spent seven seasons according to PFR.
Despite never playing in the playoffs with Cleveland, Mack was a stalwart on the line, only missing time in the 2014 season due to injury. In Atlanta, he played every game except for two matchups in 2020.
Mack stepped in for the 49ers after signing in the 2021 offseason and showed no signs of slowing down. The 36-year-old earned his seventh Pro Bowl selection in his first season with San Francisco and keeping him on his reasonable $5.5 million salary would be ideal.
Potential Replacement for 49ers
After Branch’s report dropped, 49ers Twitter immediately hopped into figuring out what comes next. Plenty of fans, analysts and content creators had ideas, but Niners Nation analyst Akash Anavarathan brought up an interesting point about San Francisco and veteran centers.
“Kyle Shanahan’s always opted for a veteran center,” Anavarathan Tweeted. “They paid Weston Richburg in 2018, then Alex Mack in 2021. JC Tretter’s the only veteran center that *might* be an upgrade. Jake Brendel’s also shown flashes. Or the 49ers go the rookie route with Strange/Jurgens/Linderbaum.”
The history shows that fans should expect the 49ers to go the veteran route. As Anavarathan mentions, Tretter is still an available free agent after completing his eighth NFL season with the Browns.
Tretter would be a plug-and-play solution, but technically more expensive and with less upside than a prominent prospect in the draft. However, the 49ers lack of a first-round pick and their first selection coming at No. 61 means they don’t have as much firepower to find and get an early-draft solution.
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