NFL teams
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Weston Richburg takes center stage after signing with 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On March 9, 2016, the Atlanta Falcons reeled in their top free-agent target, center Alex Mack. He signed a five-year, $45 million deal that came with $28.5 million in guarantees.

Two years and five days later, the San Francisco 49ers landed their top free-agent target, center Weston Richburg. On March 14, the Niners lured Richburg from the New York Giants with a five-year, $47.5 million contract with $28.5 million in guarantees.

The common denominator in both deals, aside from the nearly identical terms? Niners coach Kyle Shanahan. Much like he championed bringing Mack from the Cleveland Browns to Atlanta, Shanahan saw in Richburg similar qualities that could help his offense take off in his second season with the Niners -- just as it did in his second year as Atlanta's offensive coordinator.

In every scheme, certain positions are valued more than others. Sure, quarterbacks and pass-rushers will always take precedence, but there's no doubt Shanahan puts a premium on pivots.

"When you have a center at the level of what you're talking about with Alex or with Weston, it changes a lot of things, things that people don't totally realize," Shanahan said. "Sometimes you have to get in certain personnel groupings to help someone have an angle to a Mike linebacker so you can help your center out with the guard. Sometimes you go into one-back. Now a Will [linebacker] is going to walk outside the box, the angles aren't as good, but you've got a center who can reach someone on his own and doesn't need the help. So it allows you to do a bunch of different stuff.

"It puts some more pressure on that player ... [but] it really helps the versatility in everything you can do. Not just at the center, but what your guards and tackles can do on other positions. It really helps solidify the whole O-line. ... There's a lot of good players, but when you have a difference-maker at that position -- what I've found and I've experienced through my career -- it's been a lot easier to run an offense."

Richburg doesn't come to the Bay Area with the same résumé that Mack brought to the Falcons. Mack is a five-time Pro Bowl player who is widely regarded as one of the best centers in the league. It's a reputation he had in Cleveland and has only grown since he got to Atlanta.

But Shanahan sees Richburg, who turns 27 in July, as an ideal fit in his offense. A former high school track star who competed as a thrower and a hurdler, Richburg brings the quickness, intelligence and athleticism that Shanahan covets. Richburg's ability to make the pre-snap line calls and still get to the second level when the ball is snapped was enough to make him one of the Niners' top two targets on this year's free-agent market, according to general manager John Lynch.

The Niners' belief in Richburg was so strong that they traded center Daniel Kilgore on the same day they officially announced Richburg's signing. That move came almost exactly a month after the Niners re-signed Kilgore to a contract extension. Shanahan said trading Kilgore was one of the hardest decisions he has had to be a part of as a coach.

"You study these guys for a long time knowing that he's going to be free," Lynch said of Richburg. "But we also knew that there was going to be great competition for him. We had to compete vigorously for him and there were a lot of suitors ... I think when you look at our division, you better be good in the interior. And when we had an opportunity, as Kyle said, to get the guy that was the top guy in our mind of all the options in the interior, we felt like we had to jump."

Richburg arrives in San Francisco at a good time, considering where Shanahan's offense is in its development. After a slow start, the Niners' offense ranked near the top of the league in most major categories over the final five weeks. That stretch, of course, coincided with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's insertion into the lineup. Considering the proximity in which a center and quarterback work, there might not be a more important on-field relationship.

Richburg and Garoppolo are the same age and have history from their time together at the 2014 Senior Bowl. Since Garoppolo is still relatively new to Shanahan's scheme, the offseason will provide a chance for Garoppolo and Richburg to get on the same page and grow together.

"I just spent four years with Eli [Manning] and that was fantastic," Richburg said, a grin creeping across his face. "So this will be cool because we're the same age. ... I'm just excited to start something special with [Garoppolo]. He basically just got here. I'm just tickled to be able to be a part of that and work together with him and try to make something really special out of this."

After dealing with a concussion that kept him out the final 12 games of last season, Richburg said he's cleared and ready to step into the role Shanahan laid out for him. As though a contract almost identical to the one Mack received wasn't enough, Shanahan made it clear to Richburg just how much he prizes his new center.

"That does mean a lot," Richburg said. "We spoke a little bit and it became very evident how much he values the center position and I want to be in a place where it's understood how important that is. I think, to some extent, everybody knows that, but he really expressed to me how important he thought it was and that excites me because I think I'm a good center. I want to be a great center and I think I have the ability to do that here with the 49ers."

^ Back to Top ^