49ers projected to lose 880-yard breakout star to rival Seahawks in free agency

The San Francisco 49ers had a dreadful season, but there were still some silver linings.

Injuries decimated the 49ers' offense throughout the year, helping sink them from Super Bowl participants to last-place finishers in the NFC West. Running back Christian McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, missed all but four of San Francisco's games. 

While missing McCaffrey was a net negative for the 49ers' offense, backup running back Jordan Mason got the chance to shine. And shine he did, putting up 880 scrimmage yards in 12 games before succumbing to injury himself. 

Now that Mason's rookie contract is up, the former undrafted free agent will be looking to cash in coming off his strong season. Could a 49ers division rival lure the 25-year-old out of the Bay Area?

On Tuesday, Jonathan Eig of FanSided speculated that the Seattle Seahawks, whose starting running back Kenneth Walker III also dealt with injury issues in 2024, could be a top fit for Mason this spring in free agency.

"Based on his strong 2024, Mason should draw some interest though he is not likely to carry a huge price tag," Eig wrote. "He might constitute an upgrade over [Zach] Charbonnet and develop more of a complementary, job-sharing operation with Walker."

"Walker would still be the lead back, but Mason could spell him quite a bit, saving wear and tear on Walker so that he could hopefully last an entire season." 

Seattle finished the season at 10-7, but lost the tiebreaker to the Los Angeles Rams in the division and missed the playoffs by a single game. Walker can be a star when he's healthy, but he's not McCaffrey, so Mason would still likely have more opportunity in the Seattle offense than he would if he stayed with the 49ers.

For Mason, it all comes down to which teams value him the highest, because he's only made $2.6 million through his first three NFL seasons. If Seattle thinks he's worth more than the 49ers do, it makes complete sense that he would choose to head there.

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