Recapping the 49ers early free agency moves, and trying to figure out how the Niners arrived at this point.
A series of poorly planned contract extensions exacerbated the 49ers’ financial situation, resulting in Monday’s mass exodus of several key contributors to San Francisco’s recent success.
With Mike Silver’s report on Friday that 49ers ownership was looking to cut some costs, it’s unsurprising the list of departures is much longer than arrivals. Here is a quick look at the players who have left and joined the 49ers since the opening of the so-called legal tampering period as of Tuesday night:
Departures
LB Dre Greenlaw (DEN)
S Talanoa Hufanga (DEN)
CB Charvarius Ward (IND)
OT Jaylon Moore (KC)
G Aaron Banks (GB)
FB Kyle Juszczyk (released)
DT Javon Hargrave (MIN)
DT Maliek Collins (released)
DE Leonard Floyd (ATL)
RB Elijah Mitchell (KC)
QB Josh Dobbs (NE)
Arrivals
TE Luke Farrell
S Richie Grant
LB Luke Gifford
DB Jason Pinnock
WR Demarcus Robinson
While the list is long, there are only a few departures that San Francisco must stress over replacing in the immediate future, the first being Greenlaw. Greenlaw only played in one half in 2025 while recovering from his unfortunate Achilles injury, but that one half earned his $35 million deal.
In hindsight, it would have been best for the 49ers to shut down the linebacker and see if a one-year prove-it deal would have been enough to retain Greenlaw. However, the 49ers had a (slim) playoff chance entering the Week 15 game, enticing enough to play Greenlaw. With that one-half, half a dozen teams reportedly had interest, with the Broncos placing the winning bid.
San Francisco also had a challenging situation with Ward. An essential piece to the defense over the last few years, but an off-field tragedy led to Ward deciding to leave Santa Clara for a new start in Indianapolis.
San Francisco will also need to figure out its defensive line after the expected releases of Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd and the unexpected release of Maliek Collins. The 49ers have already missed out on what felt to be a sure thing in Joey Bosa, but depending on how the rest of free agency goes, the 49ers are perfectly set up to take a defensive lineman with pick No. 11.
But San Francisco has contingency plans for the other departures beyond Greenlaw and Ward and a complete rebuild of the defensive line, which has probably been planned since Robert Saleh’s hiring. Malik Mustapha can step in for Hufanga. Spencer Burford or Ben Bartch could be potential upgrades on Banks after his poor 2024 season. Farrell will likely find him in some of the same spots Kyle Juszczyk, especially in the blocking scheme.
Yes, Greenlaw and Ward will be difficult to replace, but the 49ers are likely prepared for the remaining departures.
San Francisco has already started addressing some needs regarding the additions. Grant and Gifford will strengthen a special teams unit that can use all the help it gets. Pinnock has had two interceptions in the last two seasons and has forced five fumbles over his career. He could compete with Ji’Ayir Brown for that second safety spot on a defense desperate for playmakers. Farrell becomes the latest attempt of Kyle Shanahan to find a second tight end, but with Farrell’s pass-blocking ability, it’s possible he could be used to try to create more targets for George Kittle. Robinson adds a veteran presence to a receiving corps with plenty of uncertainty at the moment.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the 49ers have avoided the big splash move, with San Francisco strapped for cash and a weaker free agent class, but that doesn’t mean the Super Bowl window has shut. It’s an attempt to retool with the talent the 49ers still have (Kittle, Bosa, Fred Warner, Deommodore Lenior, Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams aren’t too bad of a core to build around) as opposed to a full-blown rebuild.
However, it’ll be a tight wire to walk with the financial issues due to some bad contracts, but with a good draft, the 49ers could be right back to contenders. But boy, oh boy, are the 49ers putting plenty of pressure on themselves for next month’s draft.