The 49ers just did something smart.
They placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent running back Jordan Mason according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That means they will pay him $5.3 million next season unless another team matches the offer. In that case, the 49ers could increase their offer to Mason or trade him for a second-round pick. So if they lose him, they'll get something nice in return.
But the 49ers probably won't lose Mason. As good as he is, running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL. So instead of trading the 49ers a second-round pick for Mason, teams will simply draft a running back in Round 2.
Which means the 49ers should have one of the best and most expensive running back tandems in the league next season between Mason and Christian McCaffrey if McCaffrey stays healthy and head coach Kyle Shanahan splits their carries evenly. Shanahan usually uses one at a time until that player gets injured.
It's good to see the 49ers splurge a little bit on a backup player during an offseason in which they've been relentlessly cheap.
It's possible that Mason won't sign his tender and that the 49ers will give him a multi-year extension instead. That's what Jauan Jennings did last season when the 49ers gave him a second-round tender. He never signed it. He eventually signed a two-year deal before minicamp. Maybe that's what the 49ers plan to do with Mason.
Or maybe they want to do something drastic like trade McCaffrey in the next few weeks before his $14.245 million option bonus kicks in on April 1.
The 49ers are rebuilding. It's hard to know who will leave and who will stick around.
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