NFL Rumors: Alex Mack wants to play for the 49ers
The former Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack has an uncertain offseason as a 35-year-old free agent.
Alex Mack played in Kyle Shanahan's offenses for one season in 2014 with the Cleveland Browns and in 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons.
The San Francisco 49ers could be in the market for a center, and there appears to be a possibility that the 49ers head coach Shanahan would welcome Alex Mack.
Mack told NBC Sports:
"Kyle is an incredible coach... He's an incredible coach, great person, strong motivator and runs an offense that is something that I'd know really well and that I performed very well in. Yeah, that said, they (the 49ers) are a very enticing thing."
NFL Rumors: Alex Mack and the 49ers make sense.
The 12-year NFL veteran is a six-time Pro Bowl player. In the 2009 NFL draft, Mack was a first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns after a stellar career at the University of California.
The 49ers appear to have difficulty filling their center position and require one for the 2021 season.
San Francisco's center Weston Richburg received injures to the knee and shoulder, calling into question his future with the franchise.
In releasing Richburg, the 49ers would save nearly $4.5 million in cap space. Richburg performed in only 28 games in three seasons after signing a profitable contract in 2018.
While he played 15 games during the 2018 season, it was indisputable that Richburg wasn't 100%. He was excellent in 2019 and a valuable and quality center. However, Richburg never stepped onto the field in 2020.
Daniel Brunskill began the first eight games of the season with San Francisco as a right guard before relocating to the center after backup center Ben Garland got injured.
The move was prompted after the 49ers center Hroniss Grasu got benched due to his struggles. Brunskill is an exclusive-rights free agent. While Garland and Grasu will soon become available free agents
The 49er's offense needs a player who has experience. The center position is an important rank. In Shanahan's offensive plays, he has to make all of the calls, such as blitzing and where the line slides.
Alex Mack taking over as center for the 49ers makes sense. Especially after his interesting comments.
Mack's sixth season in the league was with the Browns, where Shanahan coached him. During the 2016 offseason, Alex Mack signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract to join Shanahan in Atlanta, where he assisted the Falcons into a Super Bowl.
Alex Mack's combination of size, athleticism makes him a fitting candidate for Shanahan's zone-blocking plan, which puts a lot of strain on those who play the center position.