Solomon Thomas

Solomon Thomas has yet to prove he was worthy of the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft, and with the 49ers using a first-round pick this past draft on another defensive tackle in Javon Kinlaw, Thomas’ chances at proving himself in San Francisco seem to be dwindling away.

With Kinlaw and veteran D.J. Jones, Thomas may have to fight more for snaps this season. He had been seeing an increase every season, getting around 51% of the snaps last season. However, the 49ers are high on Kinlaw, hoping to be worth the first-round pick that Thomas hasn’t been.

The 49ers declining the fifth-year option also isn’t a great look for Thomas. It means he’ll be a UFA in 2021 if no new contract is made. In addition, there were trade rumors last season about Thomas possibly being on the trading block, despite GM John Lynch denying them.

Bottom line, similar to Pettis, it might be time for a new opportunity somewhere other than the Bay for Thomas. The 49ers return won’t be nearly as much as their investment they put into Thomas, but it will be better than nothing.