San Francisco 49ers sign RB Kaelon Black

Kaelon Black earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI) on his four-year, $6.8M signing with San Francisco — a deal that values a developmental pass-catcher at the replacement-level price point appropriate for a late-round rookie working his way into a competitive roster. At $1.7M AAV, the contract is essentially a league-minimum plus light incentive structure, which makes sense for a sixth or seventh-round caliber prospect still proving NFL viability. The 49ers are betting on trajectory rather than immediate production; Black doesn't command cap consequences or dead-money risk, leaving the front office clean exit routes if he doesn't develop. The CVI grade reflects that this is a properly structured rookie deal with no overpay — San Francisco isn't gambling franchise resources on upside, but rather allocating modest capital to a lottery ticket on the practice squad or depth chart. For a team sitting at 12-5 and positioned in the playoff hunt, this type of low-cost developmental signing is the right approach, avoiding cap strain while maintaining roster construction flexibility into the regular season.