49ers Officially Sign DT Earl Mitchell To Four-Year, $16M Deal

February 24, 2017

Update:

The San Francisco 49ers officially announced the signing of DT Earl Mitchell on Saturday.

“As soon as Earl hit the open market, he became a priority for us to sign,” said 49ers GM John Lynch. “A man of high character, he represents everything we want to be as a football team. Earl is a tone-setter who plays the game with a tremendous passion and the effort necessary to win in this league. We believe those qualities are contagious and will help to make our team stronger. We look forward to the impact Earl will have on the field, in the locker room and in our community.”

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Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the 49ers are signing DT Earl Mitchell to a four-year, $16 million contract that includes $5.5 million in year one of the agreement.

According to Mike Klis, the Broncos were closer to signing Mitchell but were ultimately outbid by the 49ers. Klis adds the Broncos’ offer to Mitchell was a three-year deal with $4.5 million in year-one of the contract.

While Mitchell was a roster cut for the Dolphins, he managed to come out of this will a pay raise in the end, as he was set to make just $4 million for the 2017 season.

Mitchell visited with four teams including the 49ers, Broncos, Seahawks and Falcons, but it appears as though the 49ers proved to be his best option in the end.

It’s worth mentioning that signing Mitchell to a contract won’t impact the 49ers’ compensatory picks, given that he was released by the Dolphins last week.

Mitchell, 29, is a former third-round pick of the Texans back in 2010. He spent four years in Houston before signing a four-year, $19 million contract that included $8 million guaranteed with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins released him in a move that freed up $4 million of available cap space while creating $500,000 in dead money.

In 2016, Mitchell has appeared in nine games and recorded 17 tackles and no sacks for the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 78 interior defensive lineman out of 127 qualifying players.