The San Francisco 49ers have declined their fifth-year option on defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Thomas is scheduled to earn $825,000 in base salary in 2020. The 24-year-old is coming off of a 2019-20 campaign in which he played every game and logged 21 tackles and a couple of sacks.
Thomas, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the 49ers with the third overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He appeared in 14 contests during his rookie year, finishing with 41 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery. Thomas then participated in every game in 2018, registering 31 tackles and a sack.
While the Chicago native has been a consistent member of San Francisco's defensive front, his production has been a bit disappointing.
Thomas began earning attention during his sophomore season at Stanford, when he recorded 37 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown. The following year, he broke out. He racked up 61 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and another defensive score. He established himself as one of the top defensive prospects in his draft class.
Obviously, he has not materialized like the Niners have hoped. Making matters worse is that Thomas was drafted ahead of now-star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
As a collective, the 49ers had a brilliant year this past season, going 13-3 and winning the NFC West division title. After notching a first-round bye, San Francisco went on to make it all the way to the Super Bowl, where they ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31-20.
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