Mike

McGlinchey

Oh dear. The Denver offense has been a disaster over the first two weeks, and now they won’t have their starting right tackle for the rest of September and part of October. Garafolo did caution that the timeline is still fluid because evaluations are still going on, but McGlinchey won’t be on the field for Week 3 against the Buccaneers barring something unforeseeable.

According to Yates, the restructuring of McGlinchey’s deal frees up $11 million in cap space for the Broncos, who are now roughly $18 million under the cap after a busy day of moves. McGlinchey started all 16 games he appeared in for the Broncos, who he joined last offseason on a five-year, $87.5 million deal. While he’s dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career, McGlinchey continues to offer stability at right tackle and should have plenty of good years left just 29 years old.

ESPN’s Diana Russini first reported the deal, while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports it includes “over” $50 million guaranteed. The best right tackle on the market by some distance, McGlinchey is now one of the league’s highest-paid blockers. He fills a massive need opposite Garett Bolles, and also enhances the Broncos depth after Bolles spent much of the past two years dealing with injury. Coach Sean Payton is getting to work on eliminating Russell Wilson’s potential 2023 excuses.

Per Russini, the Broncos are also interested. Awash in cap space with dire protection issues in front of sack-prone franchise player Justin Fields, McGlinchey would be a highly-sensible addition for a team that just traded the No. 1 overall pick. Set to get real paid, McGlinchey figures to find a new home well before the official start of free agency on Wednesday.

As is the case with most NFL contracts, McGlinchey also added that money will have “a lot to do with it”, as the soon-to-be free agent eyes his first big payday. A former No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, McGlinchey has spent his first five years with the 49ers. He’s become a staple along the right side of their offensive line, playing in 69 of 82 regular season games over that span, while appearing in just eight games in 2021 due to a torn quadriceps. With other 49ers in line for new contracts this offseason, it’s possible McGlinchey’s new contract will come from another team in need of improvement at the right tackle position.

McGlinchey suffered a torn quad in Week 9 last year and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the season. McGlinchey is a dominant run-blocker but was also improving his game in pass-protection in 2021. Through eight contests, McGlinchey was on pace to allow fewer sacks and pressures than his 2020 campaign. The 49ers picked up his fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2022 season. A training camp return for the 27-year-old means his recovery from the quad injury has gone well. He should have no problem suiting up for Week 1.

McGlinchey went down in the first half of the 49ers’ Week 9 loss to the Cardinals and was ruled out shortly after. The 49ers exercised his fifth-year option in the offseason, keeping him under contract through 2022. Pro Football Focus graded McGlinchey as their No. 2 run-blocking tackle last year and was showing improvement as a pass-blocker in 2021. His loss presents another hurdle for an already-middling offense.

McGlinchey returned to the sidelines after halftime in street clothes. It’s a tough way to start an attempt at a double-digit point comeback. After a long James Conner touchdown in the third quarter, the 49ers trail by 17 points. Expect an update on McGlinchey from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan shortly after the game wraps up.

It guarantees McGlinchey a $10.88 million salary for next year. The 26-year-old started all 16 games for the Niners in 2020 and, furthermore, every game but four so far across three seasons in the NFL. He’ll hit free agency in 2023 if he’s unable to reach a long-term deal beforehand.

It’s unclear if McGlinchey will be healthy enough to start Monday night against the Seahawks. In early October, McGlinchey was said to miss 4-6 weeks, so we’ve entered his return window. San Francisco is also getting back LT Joe Staley soon, possibly even this week, to make things even better for the undefeated Niners.