It was a busy week for the 49ers, but not in the way that many would have wanted. We look back to see what the biggest surprise was for the Niners in free agency
The San Francisco 49ers have lived in the headlines during the first week of free agency. Overreactions to players leaving and underwhelming additions have left plenty of national analysts wondering what the Niners’ plan is.
It’s obvious. To nail the NFL Draft. Of course, that puts more pressure on the Niners to nail those picks, but we know how the 49ers plan to fill out the remainder of the roster.
In today’s roundtable, we answer what was the biggest surprise from this first week of free agency.
Marc: The lack of surprise splash
Yes, the signals were there that no big move was coming. Reports that Niners ownership was less willing to spend than in previous seasons set the stage for a tepid start to the offseason. However, the fact that the 49ers made no significant additions, failed to retain any of their starting-caliber free agents, and even cut multiple reasonably paid contributors on top of it was somewhat shocking to me.
After all, even amidst the red flags that cheapness was coming, there had also been reports suggesting that they would be willing to make a push for a big-time pass rusher, like Myles Garrett. The 49ers offseasons under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have been defined by shocking big moves. From the DeForrest Buckner trade, the trade up to eventually select Trey Lance, and signing Javon Hargrave, I’ve become accustomed to surprise. It’s still early in the offseason, but nothing big has come yet.
The fact is the 49ers were a 6-11 team last year. They have subsequently traded, released, or failed to re-sign several starters on both sides of the ball and failed to acquire any clear upgrades. This is how an offseason looks for a tanking team. Except that does not really make any sense for where the Niners are at right now
Nicholas: The absence of any defensive line signings
That the 49ers elected to cut several veteran members of the D-Line is no surprise. The contracts of Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd clearly made them candidates to be let go despite relatively decent production in their lone season with the team.
The shock is that the Niners have, to this point, not made any effort to boost what is now an extremely thin group via free agency.
In fairness, the majority of contracts handed out to defensive linemen this week have probably been beyond what the 49ers were willing to pay, and it’s clear they are going to focus their energy in the draft on rebuilding that side of the trenches, likely with an emphasis on the defensive tackle spot.
It is a very deep draft class on the defensive line, and the level of capital the 49ers have at their disposal means they should be able to make several additions with rookies who will hopefully develop into consistent contributors.
But the lack of veteran insurance is stark. There’s no point spending cap space on players you don’t think can make a difference, yet the failure to add any defensive linemen, particularly on the interior, leaves no room for error in their evaluation of draft prospects who appear poised to play significant snaps right off the bat.
Pat: The overreactions and overthinking that this is indicative of something more
Yes, this sucks, Yes, this is making me hate football right now, and Yes, despite what the odds may say, I have to curb my expectations this year on what exactly the 49ers are going to do in 2025.
That said, it was going to come sooner or later. The funny thing is, I’ve seen a lot of people thinking this is Jed York coming out of his cabana and meddling, thanks to that Mike Silver article foreshadowing what was to come. Comparisons can be made to Jim Harbaugh’s final year with the 49ers where no one got along and there was tension everywhere.
Except if you compare the two, that dysfunction isn’t happening at all, and we still get the 343235th prediction that Kyle Shanahan is going to get fired. John Lynch hinted that this was coming. This is a 49ers team that has had to go through three exhausting contract extensions in just as many seasons. Extensions that came down to the wire. This is a team that has the most dead cap hit out of anyone in the league. And it’s a team that fell way short of expectations in 2024. This isn’t the 49ers putting Shanahan on notice or saying York is ruining everything. This is the 49ers taking a step back and realizing what they were doing isn’t working anymore.
Saying “York is being cheap again” is complete nonsense. If York was cheap, why the hell would he have been involved in the Robert Saleh courting drama and making him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the league? If York was not high on Shanahan anymore, why would he be saying they wanted to pay Brock Purdy? York isn’t being cheap, if anything he’s being careful with his—and the team’s by extension—money. Which I have no problem with.
Again, The 49ers are the highest-dead-cap team in the league.w There was around $276 million dollars the 49ers walked away from in this madness. You can restructure all you want and do all these deferrals of the cap, but eventually, it’s going to come back.
The facts are this: the 49ers are going to be a bit more ruthless in negotiations—and they have to. Kyle Shanahan, Jed York, and John Lynch are aligned on what needs to be done. Brock Purdy, unfortunately, needs made an example of that the style of negotiations the 49ers have had just can’t keep going offseason after offseason (one of those, “it’s not you, it’s everyone else”).
The only thing to really be concerned on is if everyone’s aligned on the team’s performance for 2025. I don’t think it’s going to be last place like many think, but punching a ticket to the Super Bowl isn’t happening. And I hope the front office is aligned on that. Last thing I want is a Brock Purdy negotiation, a massive draft, and all this available salary cap money in two years and—whoops, sorry, Shanahan and the 49ers have “mutually parted ways.”
But that’s a concern. Right now, no need to overthink it. The 49ers are doing what they have to do.
Jason: Jaylon Moore and Aaron Banks’s contracts
The 49ers have been prepping for the losses of Mooney Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, and Dre Greenlaw (even though the 49ers wanted him back the most). Aaron Banks was never going to get a market extension, but the Green Bay Packers massively overpaid for a net zero left guard in the NFL. Linemen will always get paid more due to the sheer lack of impact linemen in the league. This deal will likely look very rough in the coming years for Green Bay. Good on the 49ers for not looking to extend Banks at his market value, but even if they were interested, this contract is gross.
Jaylon Moore filled in admirably for Trent Williams when called upon. The Kansas City Chiefs thought so highly of Moore they inked him to protect Patrick Mahomes blindside. While there’s no doubt the young left tackle is talented, his sample size is far too small to feel confident in his consistency at the position down after down. I’m sure the 49ers would have liked to sneak Moore back onto the roster, but the word across the league was out, and Kansas City pounced on him.
All of the losses for the team were expected. The draft is where this team will reload the roster. I don’t think anyone could have seen this outcome for Moore and Banks.
Andrew Pasquini: How much pressure the 49ers are putting on themselves to nail the draft
Mike Silver reported a few weeks ago that the 49ers weren’t looking to be buyers in free agency, but not only have they not been buyers, they haven’t been competitive.
Any bidding war seemed enough to spook John Lynch (and Jed York) away. It was reported that up to half a dozen were in on Dre Greenlaw, so many it never seemed the 49ers were in on the linebacker. Once Miami got involved with Joey Bosa, San Francisco felt a long shot and even then lost to the mystery team, Buffalo Bills. They even missed out on Raheem Mostert with reported mutual interest, with the former 49er choosing to sign with Las Vegas.
San Francisco did address some needs, like the all-important second tight end and backup quarterback (bonus points for a backup with starting experience!), but no signing moved the radar, especially with the number of departures. It’s not surprising the 49ers didn’t make a big splash signing, but some players—like Josh Uche or Ryan Kelly — didn’t get massive contracts that could have addressed potential needs.
Instead, the 49ers seem comfortable exiting the first week of free agency as barren as they are. There are still some signings left, but none will alter the importance of next month’s draft. The 2024 draft class had an immediate impact, with five of the eight hitting — at least for one season. San Francisco is scheduled to make eleven selections in the draft. They might need to hit on a higher percentage than last year to attempt to keep this ship afloat.
Rohan Chakravarthi: The price of departing 49ers
Jason alluded to it a little bit, but 49ers free agents got PAID this offseason across the board.
Aaron Banks (4 years, $77 million), Charvarius Ward (3 years, $54 million), Talanoa Hufanga (3 years, $45 million), Dre Greenlaw (3 years, $35 million), Jaylon Moore (2 years, $30 million), Javon Hargrave (2 years, $30 million), and Maliek Collins (2 years, $20 million) all got lucrative multi-year contract.
For weeks, it was assumed that the 49ers likely weren’t bringing back a majority of their free agents. Now we can see why. And the lone free agent that seemed like a possibility, Dre Greenlaw, could very well outplay his contract with the Denver Broncos if he remains healthy.
Offensive linemen are always paid at a premium in free agency, so there’s a good argument that both Banks and Moore were overpaid considering their production thus far. Despite a down 2024 season, given the weaker free-agent market, Charvarius Ward still cashed in on a top-tier cornerback contract.
Similarly, despite being injured for good parts of the last two years, Talanoa Hufanga got three years for $15 million a year, which is top 10 safety money.
The 49ers prepared for the mass departure this offseason with their draft picks last year. Now, the mass departure is including more players than expected, which means this year’s draft is even more important to hit on to fill out the remaining holes on the roster.