49ers add pass rushers Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos; put tender on RFA Jennings

SANTA CLARA — Defensive end Leonard Floyd, a Super Bowl winner two years ago with the Los Angeles Rams, is joining the 49ers’ pursuit of their first Lombardi Trophy in 30 years.

So is Yetur Gross-Matos, another pass rusher who should help recharge a defensive front the 49ers perenially envision as the key to their success.

Floyd, 31, and Gross-Matos, 26, agreed to two-year deals worth $20 million and $18 million, respectively, as the NFL opened the free agency negotiation window Monday, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Adding defensive ends was a priority for a 49ers franchise hellbent on ending its championship drought and doing so with an elite front. Leading that unit on the other end will be Nick Bosa, the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, while 2023 prized free agent Javon Hargrave anchors an interior that is expected to lose Arik Armstead.

That unit’s depth could be further depleted in free agency beyond Armstead’s expected release after nine seasons. Javon Kinlaw, the 49ers’ top pick in 2020, agreed Monday night on a one-year deal with the New York Jets, whose coach, Robert Saleh, was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator in Kinlaw’s rookie year.

Hitting the market Monday also were defensive ends Clelin Ferrell, Chase Young and Randy Gregory, and defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Sebastian Joseph-Day, all of whom potentially could be re-signed.

It has been a month since the 49ers’ defense caved in overtime to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. And it’s been an annual ritual for the 49ers to seek a complement to Nick Bosa on the other side of the defensive front. This past October, the 49ers traded for Gregory and then Young, but neither produced at a high clip.

Floyd, 31, is guaranteed $12 million this season, and the deal could max out at $24 million. Such a financial commitment would seem to hinder the 49ers’ ability to make another high-priced move, such as trading with the Los Angeles Chargers for Bosa’s older brother, Joey, who’s set to make $15 million this year. The day’s biggest blockbuster came when the Panthers traded Brian Burns to the New York Giants, who awarded him a five-year, $150 million extension.

Floyd has appeared in 121 games, recorded 58 sacks and 122 quarterback hits with four forced fumble and seven fumble recoveries. In nine playoff games, he has five sacks; none came in the Bills’ divisional-round loss in January to the Chiefs.

Two years ago, Floyd, the former No. 9 overall pick of the Bears in 2016, recorded a third-down sack in the Rams’ Super Bowl triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals. Released by the Bears rather than play under his fifth-year option, he joined the Rams for three years before playing last season for the Buffalo Bills.

Upon joining the Rams in 2020, Floyd played under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers and, last month, was hired to the 49ers’ staff. Staley is expected to serve as the assistant head coach and help on defense, although coach Kyle Shanahan has yet to announce any staff changes, including the presumed promotion of Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator.

Gross-Matos spent the past four seasons marooned with the Carolina Panthers, totaling 13 sacks and 30 quarterback hits in 55 games and 32 starts. He was a second-round draft pick out of Penn State. Other defensive ends on the roster include Drake Jackson and Robert Beal Jr.

Talks with free agents commenced at 9 a.m. Monday, and, within minutes, news broke that backup quarterback Brandon Allen was returning to the 49ers. Five hours later, word broke about Floyd’s deal. A few hours later, Gross-Matos was in the fold.

Other defensive ends to reportedly land deals Monday included Jonathan Greenard (Vikings; four years, $76 million), Bryce Huff (Eagles; three years, $51 million), Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings; two years, $20 million), and Dorance Armstrong (Commanders; three years, $45 million). Top edge rushers available at the time of Floyd’s 49ers deal were Danielle Hunter (Vikings) and Jadaveon Clowney (Ravens).

49ers tender Jennings

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings, the 49ers’ third-down specialist, drew a second-round tender as a restricted free agent, as NBC Sports Bay Area first reported. Jennings’ 2024 salary would be $4.9 million if a long-term deal isn’t reached; the 49ers would receive a second-round pick if they choose not to match an offer sheet from another team.

Jennings was a seventh-round pick, and after his Super Bowl show in which he threw a touchdown pass and also caught one, the 49ers couldn’t risk giving him a lower tender for another team to poach him for next to nothing.