GM John Lynch said McKinnon (knee) will stay with the 49ers through April 1, when his 2019 base salary ($3.7 million) becomes guaranteed, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The signing of Tevin Coleman led to speculation, but Lynch confirmed McKinnon is still part of the plan for 2019. Of course, the 49ers would be foolish not to listen if another organization were to approach them with a serious trade offer for McKinnon or Matt Breida (ankle). The current alignment points to four running backs on the 53-man roster, as the aforementioned trio is joined by special teams ace Raheem Mostert, who recently signed a three-year contract. McKinnon, Breida and Coleman are all viable candidates for the starting job, though the former needs to complete his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered Sept. 1. Multiple reports this offseason have suggested McKinnon is ahead of schedule and should be ready for the start of training camp.