San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Predicted to be Big Spenders in Free Agency
![San Francisco Giants Predicted to be Big Spenders in Free Agency San Francisco Giants Predicted to be Big Spenders in Free Agency](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_27/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j7e76n76zrgcg2c0rd.jpg)
It has not be an ideal season for the San Francisco Giants, as they have been hovering around the .500 mark for most of the year.
Despite spending a good amount of money on their roster this season, the Giants arguably didn’t live up to expectations. As we wrap up the season, San Francisco is going to be a team to watch in the offseason, as they have a lot of potential players coming off the books.
Recently, the Giants did address one of those players who was potentially going to test free agency this winter, as they locked up third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year deal.
Chapman was signed by the Giants this past offseason, and has had an excellent first season in San Francisco. The strong season thus far by Chapman made it pretty clear that he was going to opt out of his contract and test free agency. However, San Francisco made sure that didn’t happen.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently spoke about what the payroll for the Giants could like going into next season, and predicted them to be big spenders in free agency.
“That 2025 payroll of $143.8M for some reason does not yet include the estimated $25M to Chapman, but it does include the combined $63.5M theoretically due to Blake Snell and Robbie Ray. Snell is very likely going to opt out, though, and it’s at least plausible that Ray will join him in free agency. If that happens, that payroll (after factoring in Chapman’s $25M) drops to just $105.3M, and the Giants would be on the prowl for several of the top free-agent pitchers.”
This offseason will certainly be an interesting one for San Francisco. As we have seen this season, the offense needs to be addressed. Keeping Chapman is a step in the right direction there, but if they want to contend, they need to add more bats.
With a lot of money coming off the books, it will be interesting to see if the Giants pursue Juan Soto in free agency. San Francisco was very much in on Aaron Judge a couple years ago, and they might try for Soto this offseason.
Even if Soto isn’t in the cards, there are a lot of other talented bats out there that could help the Giants. Furthermore, it will also be worth monitoring to see if they elect to bring Blake Snell back, as he has been pitching really well of late and will likely be opting out of his contract.
While San Francisco might not have the reputation of being big spenders, the franchise has shown that they don’t mind making big offers for star players.
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San Francisco, CA
Aaron Rodgers Interception Led to Perfect Adam Sandler Joke During ManningCast
![Aaron Rodgers Interception Led to Perfect Adam Sandler Joke During ManningCast Aaron Rodgers Interception Led to Perfect Adam Sandler Joke During ManningCast](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_905,h_509,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si/01j7e06bgynp6dbcap5b.png)
Timing is everything.
That lesson was reinforced by actor, comedian and New York Jets fan Adam Sandler’s appearance on ESPN’s ManningCast with Peyton and Eli Manning during the San Francisco 49ers’ 32-19 win over the Jets at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.
Moments after Sandler joined the Manning brothers on the telecast midway through the third quarter, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s pass intended for wide receiver Garrett Wilson was tipped into the air and intercepted by 49ers linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
Sandler, always prepared with a joke, didn’t miss a beat.
“See, maybe you should get rid of me,” Sandler said as the Mannings laughed. “I don’t wanna be here. I’m going. That was terrible … This was a mistake.”
“I don’t wanna be here. I’m going…This was a mistake”
–– Adam Sandler after Aaron Rodgers interception 🤣 pic.twitter.com/x1gNBGJPW4
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 10, 2024
Sandler clearly felt he was a bad luck charm for his Jets. If it makes him feel any better, it was an uneven performance even before he showed up on ManningCast.
The Jets marched down the field for a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, then didn’t score again until Sandler made his appearance about halfway through the third quarter.
So don’t be too hard on yourself, Adam.
San Francisco, CA
McCaffrey sits, Mason stars for dominant 49ers
![McCaffrey sits, Mason stars for dominant 49ers McCaffrey sits, Mason stars for dominant 49ers](https://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2024%2F0910%2Fr1384465_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For the past two-plus seasons, Jordan Mason has always looked the part of a starting running back. He just hadn’t been able to play it until Monday night.
The wait might have been longer than Mason wanted and come about under less-than-ideal circumstances — replacing an injured Christian McCaffrey — but it was clear in the season opener that Mason was more than ready for the job, as he and the Niners battered the New York Jets on the ground in a 32-19 victory.
“I’ve been working all of training camp for this moment, and I’m blessed to be able to get to play today and show it,” Mason said.
By the time Mason was done, he’d set career highs with 28 carries for 147 yards. He added a rushing score and caught a pass for 5 more yards. After the win, some were left wondering when the Niners knew McCaffrey would be out and Mason would be in.
In an on-field interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, Mason suggested he found out “maybe Friday night” that he could be in line for the start. Coach Kyle Shanahan offered that no decision was made on Friday and nothing was decided until Monday.
Regardless, Mason’s start came as a surprise after McCaffrey was announced as an inactive 90 minutes before Monday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium because of lingering calf and Achilles injuries. During the week, McCaffrey participated in all four Niners practices on a limited basis and was officially listed as questionable on Saturday’s final injury report.
Despite all that, the expectation for McCaffrey was that he would be ready to roll. McCaffrey said Friday afternoon he had no doubts he would play against the Jets and expressed hope he’d be in line for his usual heavy workload.
After the game, Shanahan said that “it was a little too much today” for McCaffrey to be able to play, noting that San Francisco “thought it was going to be smart to keep him out.” Shanahan added that McCaffrey did not have a setback in practice.
“It was on and off throughout the week,” Shanahan said. “He was able to practice throughout the week, just it was always bothering him to a degree. Sometimes it goes away. Sometimes it comes back. Today, it was bothering him a little too much where he didn’t feel good about it.”
McCaffrey’s injury combined with the season-ending hamstring injury to Elijah Mitchell in training camp opened the door for Mason to ascend the depth chart, an opportunity he quickly claimed with a strong camp that likely would have boosted him past Mitchell anyway.
Mason’s training camp performance left the Niners confident that he was ready to step in and produce despite never having more than 11 carries, 69 yards or 27 offensive snaps in an NFL game before Monday night.
His 28 carries were the most in a regular season game by a Niner since Shanahan took over in 2017 and the most in a 49ers season opener in franchise history. His 147 were the fourth-most rushing yards in a season opener by an undrafted player all time and the second most by an undrafted player on Monday Night Football.
That production was no surprise to those in the Niners locker room who have seen Mason develop from 2022 undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech into a player who averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his previous 33 NFL games.
“Every time he touched the ball, in my recollection, he looked like that,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “He looked like that tonight. … I’m sure he’s grown up over the last couple years, but it’s not like I could see a glaring hole and he matured. He came in pretty mature and he was always ready for his opportunity. Even being third, fourth back, he was always ready and he came in, closed a lot of games for us and ran tough and he earned everybody’s respect.”
Many of Mason’s teammates, including receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and fullback Kyle Juszczyk said they found out Friday that Mason would be starting for McCaffrey. Shanahan said he and other coaches had told Mason throughout the week that he might have a bigger role and to be ready for it but he didn’t tell him he was starting for sure until Monday afternoon.
“We found out he wasn’t playing today and we don’t know how he’s going to feel tomorrow or the next day,” Shanahan said. “I thought he was playing this whole week until today.”
Depending on how the rest of this week goes for McCaffrey, there might be no such mystery as the Niners prepare for a trip to play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. San Francisco’s next two games are on artificial surface, which could be a deterrent to having McCaffrey return right away.
Shanahan said it’s too early to make any declarations on that now as McCaffrey will again be monitored as the week goes on.
“I’ll ask the player how he’s feeling,” Shanahan said. “If they feel good and they’re ready to go, they’re ready to go. If they say I feel good on grass but not on turf, that’s usually a way of saying that you don’t really feel that good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. See the next day and we’ll see how he feels on Sunday.”
And if the Niners have to go back to Mason, there will be no hesitation given what he did Monday night.
“I thought he runs like he always does,” Shanahan said. “When you get him the ball, he breaks tackles usually gets more than we block for. When we had the good lanes, he always hit them and we got a bunch, but JP was awesome today.”
San Francisco, CA
New York Jets Make Final Roster Moves Before San Francisco 49ers Game
![New York Jets Make Final Roster Moves Before San Francisco 49ers Game New York Jets Make Final Roster Moves Before San Francisco 49ers Game](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5610,h_3155,x_0,y_369/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/jets_country/01j7cgd7kx87a2357fc8.jpg)
The New York Jets made several moves in advance of their Monday opener with the San Francisco 49ers, including sliding one player to the injured list.
Meanwhile, the 49ers designated running back Christian McCaffrey as inactive, taking a huge weapon off the field for San Francisco going into the opener.
For the Jets, linebacker Zaire Barnes, a Western Michigan product, missed all week with an ankle injury and was moved to the injured list.
To replace him, New York signed Sam Equavoen from their practice squad. The 31-year-old re-signed with the Jets in May after he explored free agency. He was primarily a special teams performer with the team in 2023.
They also signed offensive lineman Jake Hanson from the practice squad to provide some depth with the injury to backup Wes Schweitzer.
New York ruled out Schweitzer, a nine-year veteran, as a hand injury kept him out of practice all week.
The Jets also elevated tight end Anthony Firkser and defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes for Monday’s game. The team also signed running back Kene Nwangwu to the practice squad.
Nwangwu, an Iowa State teammate of running back Breece Hall, was a second-team All-Pro as a kickoff returner in 2022.
New York named the following players inactive for Monday’s game: offensive lineman Max Mitchell, running back Israel Abanikanda, tackle Carter Warren, tight end Brenden Bates, defensive lineman Eric Watts, defensive lineman Leonard Taylor and cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
McCaffrey was a limited participant in practice all week with a calf/Achilles injury and was listed as questionable all week. He practiced little in training camp and did not play in the preseason.
The 49ers ruled out defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) on Saturday’s final injury report, as neither practiced all week. Safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee), was doubtful and he is inactive.
Other inactives for Monday’s game included quarterback Joshua Dobbs, cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. and offensive lineman Ben Bartch.
Before the game, San Francisco announced the activation of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to the active roster. In order to make room on the roster, the 49ers released offensive lineman Brandon Parker.
San Francisco also elevated two players from its practice squad for the game — defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu and safety Tracy Walker III.
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