Should The 49ers Exercise Javon Kinlaw’s Fifth-Year Option?

The San Francisco 49ers had the No. 1 rated defense in the NFL during the 2022 season. Despite that, coming into the offseason, arguably the biggest need for the franchise was on the defensive side of the ball.

San Francisco has a vaunted pass rush led by Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. There are stars at the second and third level in Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga, who were both Pro Bowlers and All-Pros along with Bosa. But, the interior of their defensive line left something to be desired.

The need to bolster their defensive tackle spot was on full display against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles ran the ball down the 49ers’ throats as they had no answer to slow down their ground game.

In the middle of that disappointment was Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has a fifth-year option pending that the team will have to make a decision on. PFF predicts that the 49ers will decline that fifth-year option and it is hard to argue against that.

The writing was on the wall for Kinlaw when San Francisco made a splash early on in free agency, signing Javon Hargrave away from the Eagles. They committed major money to him, agreeing to a four-year, $84 million contract.

It is hard to imagine the 49ers committing to Kinlaw beyond the 2023 season, especially at the price that his option is worth. His contract in 2024, with the option, would be $10,455,000. That is a lot of money for a player that is falling out of favor with the franchise.

The South Carolina product hasn’t played at least 200 snaps on defense in the regular season the last two years, appearing in only 10 games total. He has yet to record a grade of at least 55.0, as he has performed at a well below-average level in three seasons. His PFF grade of 48.7 in three seasons ranks 154th out of 192 players and his PFF WAR of -0.09 is 305th.

That is just not going to cut it. With Hargrave now on the books and a monster contract coming soon for Bosa, there is no reason to tie up north of $10 million in a player that may not be part of the long-term plans in Kinlaw. The 49ers had hoped he would help fill the void left by trading DeForest Buckner, but Kinlaw has failed to live up to expectations.