Mike McGlinchey sounds like a man resigned to the fact that he'll soon be a former 49er.
In an interview with KNBR, the free-agent offensive tackle appeared to strongly hint that the San Francisco 49ers will allow McGlinchey to hit the open market and will be unable to keep him at his expected price tag. He said he'll be back in the Bay Area this coming week to find out where his next destination will be.
"(McGlinchey's wife) Brooke and I will be waiting by the phone to hear what happens," McGlinchey said. "We got a lot of intel coming off the week at the combine and all that stuff of what's going on and what we can expect to happen. Once Monday hits, I'll have a pretty quick decision to make and hopefully be signed by the first day of free agency."
Monday kicks off the unofficial start of free agency, with unrestricted free agents able to negotiate deals during a two-day window that opens at noon ET. At 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the official free-agency period begins.
The 49ers currently have less than $6.5 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap. Their highest-paid player also happens to play offensive tackle: Trent Williams. Last season, McGlinchey played on his fifth-year option, earning $10.88 million.
At the NFL Scouting Combine last week, 49ers GM John Lynch also seemed to understand the reality of the situation of keeping McGlinchey.
"Could (McGlinchey) miss his market? Sure," Lynch said. "Then would we be interested? Of course we would. But I don't see that happening. I see him being a coveted player."
McGlinchey said that Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have spoken with him on the matter, which likely is why all parties appear to be on the same page.
"Obviously it's something that was expected. The writing was kind of on the wall a little bit in that regard," McGlinchey said. "John and Kyle both had conversations with me before I left the building. It was something we all kind of expected.
"It's definitely a tough deal. We have a lot of great players in the 49ers organization, which is why we've been good for the last five years, and it makes it hard to afford everybody. We have a Hall of Fame (tackle) -- and maybe the greatest to play the tackle position -- on our team already. It's hard to imagine them paying top dollar for both."
The 49ers selected McGlinchey No. 9 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He's started 75 games -- 69 in the regular season, six more in the playoffs -- since joining the team. He predominantly has played right tackle in San Francisco.
NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal lists McGlinchey as his No. 6 free agent this offseason but also suggests that he might be overpaid in this market.
"It's been as fun for me as it has been for everybody else," McGlinchey said at the end of the interview. "My family and I are forever grateful for the (49ers') faithful, the Yorks, John and Kyle, everybody in there. It's been a hell of a ride and if this is it, I just want to say thank you to everyone."
