Report: 49ers ‘unlikely’ to pick up fifth-year option for Javon Kinlaw
49ers DT Javon Kinlaw is coming off a rough 2022 season. And with the team strapped for cash, his fifth-year option is in jeopardy.
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The San Francisco 49ers need to make some changes to the roster in order to get back to the postseason in 2023. That could start with defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Rumors have surfaced over the past few weeks that the 49ers would not be picking up Kinlaw’s fifth-year option after the 2023 season. This means that the former first-round pick would be an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The first to suggest the notion was The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and David Lombardi, citing Kinlaw’s inability to stay on the field as the main culprit for the dilemma.
Kinlaw’s struggles were cited above,” the pair wrote in an article last week. “The team is unlikely to pick up his fifth-year option in May, which means he’s heading into the final year of his contract. Kinlaw played just three games last season before his knee began acting up and the 49ers have to consider a more dependable starting defensive tackle.”
The 49ers & the rest of the NFL teams have until the May 1 deadline to decide whether or not to exercise fifth-year options on first-round picks from the 2020 draft class.
#49ers Unlikely To Exercise DT Javon Kinlaw's Fifth-Year Option pic.twitter.com/yzBQQZ4L4f
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 19, 2023
Javon Kinlaw showed flashes of his potential as a rookie, registering 33 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 passes defended and 1 INT in 14 games. Since then, the South Carolina alum has struggled to stay healthy, playing four games his sophomore season until he tore his ACL. Dealing with lingering problems this past season, Kinlaw only featured in six games in 2022, totaling four combined tackles.
His defensive woes were on display in the NFC Championship game, getting manhandled by the Philadelphia Eagles’ interior to allow 158 rushing yards on the day. Finishing with a team-worst 43.5 Pro Football Focus grade, Kinlaw’s fourth year in the league could be his “make it or break it” season in San Francisco.
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