Reminding closely of the 49ers’ 2020 season, San Francisco’s latest NFC title defense skidded off track largely due to injuries. A difficult schedule, which came after two more late-summer contract sagas (Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams), ground up a depleted San Francisco roster, producing the same six wins the 2020 slate brought. This offseason brought significant changes, seeing a host of Super Bowl LVIII starters depart while also featuring a welcome change in the 49ers’ negotiation timing.
The team completed its top extension priorities before May’s end, reupping George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Fred Warner. This stood to minimize the distractions that have frequently impacted the 49ers during the Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch era. A far less imposing — as it appears in August — schedule awaits Shanahan’s ninth roster, and the team will attempt to replicate the 2021 squad’s rebound effort.
Extensions and restructures:
It is still difficult to overstate the oddity of Purdy’s career arc. Although Dak Prescott became the NFL’s highest-paid player out of the fourth round, Purdy was one pick from going undrafted. The NFL features 20 $20MM-per-year quarterbacks; Purdy is the only one chosen outside the fourth round. The Iowa State success story lost some steam from his 2023 breakthrough, as All-Pros kept dropping around him, but he did nothing to veer off the extension course he had traversed. The 49ers then managed an interesting compromise.
Regularly labeled a modest talent in a great system, Purdy has operated on a higher level compared to Jimmy Garoppolo — a player the 49ers once re-signed at a top-market rate. That ignited what had been a slower-moving QB market in 2018, and passers continue to benefit. Because of the struggles the 2021 and ’22 QB draftees have faced, Purdy stood as the only contract-year passer to monitor regarding a blockbuster payday this offseason.
Following up his first-place QBR finish in 2023 with a seventh-place conclusion despite the losses of Aiyuk, Williams and Christian McCaffrey — and more underwhelming Deebo Samuel play — Purdy solidified his extension status. He had already gone toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII to punctuate one of the most unlikely ascents in quarterback history, and that 2023 produced only the second full-season yards-per-attempt number north of 9.5 since the 1950s (trivia answer: Chris Chandler‘s 1998 slate). Shanahan’s offense undoubtedly has boosted Purdy; team and player reached a compromise that undoubtedly stemmed from this unique arrangement.
Seeking an early-offseason deal in order to minimize distractions, Purdy is believed to have asked for $65MM per year. That was a nonstarter for the 49ers. Rather than the usual San Francisco stalemate dragging well into training camp, the sides resolved it with a $53MM-per-year deal that carries a player-friendly structure.
Purdy secured a Mahomes-like rolling guarantee structure. A $55.1MM 2028 payout will become guaranteed April 1, 2027, per OverTheCap. The 49ers are due to pay out a $7.2MM guarantee for 2029 on April 1, 2028. These key dates follow a $100MM at-signing guarantee. Purdy’s $165.1MM cash flow through four years betters Jared Goff‘s number, even if the Lions QB has Purdy’s deal beat at the second- and third-year marks.
The 49ers managed to still sign Purdy to an AAV tied for seventh at the position. Considering the Jaguars and Packers needed to match the top QB salary at the time to extend their passers (Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love) without a Purdy-level season on their resumes, the 49ers did well not to approach Prescott’s $60MM-per-year topper. Purdy agreeing to the Goff AAV after the cap spiked by another $24MM is a team win, though this is still a substantial commitment to a player that drew no draft buzz three years ago.
Even if Purdy admitted to leaving money on the table to help the 49ers build around him, this is a seismic payout for him; the QB’s rookie deal was worth $3.74MM. This compromise also netted Purdy a no-trade clause, providing protection few players across the league enjoy. While this deal does not make it a lock Purdy finishes his career in San Francisco, it is a sizable commitment.
It was worth wondering — after the high-end deals given to non-top-tier passers like Lawrence, Love and Tua Tagovailoa last year — if the 49ers would consider letting Purdy play out his rookie contract while keeping the trade door open. But rumors steadily emerged about an extension. The team fully endorsed its former third-string QB, minimizing any talk of a potential 49ers zag while they added another rookie-deal QB to play for Shanahan.
Purdy’s payday came after Kittle inked his third contract. Having built a Hall of Fame resume, Kittle was still unable to move the tight end position past $20MM per year. The 49ers handed their all-around TE dynamo an extension weeks after Ja’Marr Chase elevated the WR ceiling to $40.25MM, it is certainly interesting the NFL keeps valuing top TEs far lower than high-end WR2s.
Kittle’s deal also came after the Cardinals kept Trey McBride under $20MM per year. While a sizable gap existed between team and player early, the deal was done before April ended. Regardless of how undervalued Kittle appears to be, the deal may ensure the ninth-year pass catcher finishes his career in San Francisco.
Purdy could well become the defining Shanahan/Lynch draft choice, but Kittle is right there. The former No. 146 overall pick moved into a tie for second place all time with a fourth 1,000-yard TE season. Kittle has not matched peak Travis Kelce in terms of receiving success, as the 49ers use him differently, but he has long been the game’s premier all-around tight end. Vital to the 49ers’ run game as well, Kittle has five All-Pros on an eight-season resume. He also stayed mostly healthy since his first extension (5/75) preceded an eight-game 2020. Kittle, 31, has played at least 15 games in each of the past three seasons.
Kelce and Rob Gronkowski being tied to team-friendly contracts hurt the tight end market on the whole, and Kittle heading into an age-32 season limited his earning power. This deal locks him in through at least 2026, and $2MM of the Iowa alum’s 2027 money is guaranteed at signing. The 49ers used an Eagles-like structure, filled with option bonuses and void years, to keep Kittle’s cap hits under $19MM until 2029. The 49ers did not submit to a rolling guarantee structure here, making 2027 a year to monitor regarding this contract. By 2028, the 49ers can escape it for less than $5MM in dead money.
Purdy’s extension influenced the 49ers in free agency, which included far more notable losses than additions, but the team’s Dre Greenlaw‘s price point probably pertained to Warner’s future. Unlike Shaquille Leonard, Warner has stayed healthy after resetting the off-ball LB market in 2021. The 49ers rewarded him by ending Roquan Smith‘s two-year run atop the market.
Like Kittle, Warner appears on his way to Canton. He is riding a three-season streak of first-team All-Pro honors and has four in his career. That matches NaVorro Bowman‘s count and is just one shy of 2024 Hall inductee Patrick Willis‘. Warner also played through an ankle fracture last season, still motoring to his usual All-Pro perch.
The 49ers have seen the former third-round pick miss one career game, giving them confidence in Warner staying power into his early 30s while also providing important durability for a frequently injury-plagued team. The dynamic cover LB’s 2027 money will become guaranteed by April 1, 2026.
Trades:
While the 49ers continue to build around Super Bowl LIV starters Kittle and Warner, they separated from another by making Samuel part of this offseason’s first trade. The $30MM-per-year Aiyuk extension pointed to Samuel being trade bait this offseason, and while the 49ers expressed some hope they could keep their five-year receiving duo together, they quickly pivoted to letting his camp find a trade partner. As it turned out, only one truly emerged.
The Broncos and Texans looked into Samuel, but neither made an offer. A year after Aiyuk expressed interest in joining college teammate Jayden Daniels via trade, the Commanders — led by ex-49ers assistant GM Adam Peters — acquired Samuel. Whereas the Steelers needed to send a second-round pick to the Seahawks for D.K. Metcalf and hand over a top-four extension, this trade involving a 2019 WR draftee amounted to a salary dump. It still stings the 49ers, who are taking on $34.12MM in dead money — breaking the Bills’ Stefon Diggs WR record from last year — following the swap.
The Commanders have not extended Samuel, who remains tied to his three-year, $71.55MM deal from summer 2022. The 49ers asked for Jonathan Allen in the trade, but the Pro Bowl DT was not included. San Francisco also passed on Allen in free agency after his Washington release.
Even as Samuel would occasionally make highlight-reel plays, he struggled with durability and put up generally unremarkable stats on his second 49ers contract. Samuel’s dominant 2021 — 1,405 receiving yards, 365 on the ground, 14 touchdowns — now looks like an outlier. While the “wide back” did impress in 2023 (892/225/12), he did not eclipse 700 receiving yards in 2022 or ’24. Having accumulated 202 rushing attempts also could shorten Samuel’s career, as he plays with a physical style.
The 2019 second-round pick did make important contributions during the 49ers’ four NFC championship game journeys, but the team sold low and has Ricky Pearsall‘s rookie deal — and a low-cost Jauan Jennings contract, much to the ascendant WR’s chagrin — complementing Aiyuk’s top-10 WR terms. Though, the 49ers continue to have persistent trouble keeping their top wideouts healthy. That has continued during training camp.
Huff received a lifeline because of this trade. One of the few Eagles to see his stock drop last year, Huff was a healthy scratch for Super Bowl LIX despite commanding $34MM guaranteed at signing in 2024. The former Jets passing-down specialist sensed early he would not fit in Vic Fangio‘s scheme; he will now be back under Robert Saleh, who oversaw his ascent to a 10-sack player in 2023.
After winning a bidding war, the Eagles realized Huff was not worth the three-year, $51MM contract. In Saleh’s Jets scheme, however, Huff finished his tenure with a dominant (albeit in short spurts) contract year. He was PFR’s No. 9 free agent in 2024, having led the NFL in pressure rate (21.8%). That came on just 480 snaps, which proved telling ahead of an injury-affected Eagles slate. But the Jets’ 2023 sack leader was struggling before his wrist injury. He tallied all of 2.5 sacks and four QB hits last season.
The 49ers have Huff on a $7.95MM guaranteed 2025 salary; beyond this year, he can be cut free of charge. The 49ers will likely adjust Huff’s contract if they intend to keep him in 2026, as his cap number balloons to $17.1MM next year. Huff, 27, joins the resilient Yetur Gross-Matos and first-rounder Mykel Williams as Nick Bosa complementary rushers. The 49ers continue to shuffle through Bosa wingmen, and Huff follows Chase Young, Randy Gregory and Charles Omenihu as a trade piece to staff part of this contingent.
Mason outlasted third-rounders Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price and was a much more reliable option than pre-McCaffrey starter Elijah Mitchell. A former UDFA, Mason began last season as the 49ers’ starter due to McCaffrey’s injury. Averaging over 5.0 yards per carry on limited usage in 2022 and ’23, Mason impressively posted a 5.2-yard number on 153 carries last year. The 49ers sold high, but they will rely on 2024 third-rounder Isaac Guerendo — he of a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash time in 2024 — behind CMC this year. One of the top fantasy handcuff options in recent memory, Guerendo averaged 5.3 yards per tote as a rookie.
Free agency additions:
- Luke Farrell, TE. Three years, $15.75MM ($6MM guaranteed)
- Demarcus Robinson, WR. Two years, $8MM ($6MM guaranteed)
- Mac Jones, QB. Two years, $7MM ($4.75MM guaranteed)
- Siran Neal, DB. Two years, $4MM ($2.26MM guaranteed)
- Jason Pinnock, S. One year, $2.2MM ($2.2MM guaranteed)
- Thomas Morstead, P. One year, $1.42MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Luke Gifford, LB. One year, $1.8MM ($800K guaranteed)
- Tre Brown, CB. One year, $1.7MM ($500K guaranteed)
- Richie Grant, S. One year, $1.5MM ($345K guaranteed)
- Andre Dillard, T. One year, $1.17MM ($315K guaranteed)
- Patrick Taylor, RB. One year, $1.17MM ($300K guaranteed)
- Jon Weeks, LS. One year, $1.42MM ($200K guaranteed)
- Ross Dwelley, TE. One year, $1.42MM
- Ameer Abdullah, RB. One year, $1.26MM
- Robbie Chosen, WR. One year, $1.26MM
- Dallis Flowers, CB. One year, $1.1MM
- Jeff Wilson, RB. Signed 8/10
Farrell’s Jacksonville-to-San Francisco migration headlining a team’s free agency payments illustrates a light acquisition effort on the 49ers’ part. The 49ers lost blocking tight end Charlie Woerner to the Falcons last year and saw the Lions match their Brock Wright RFA offer sheet. Farrell spent much of his on-field time last season as a run blocker.
Pro Football Focus raved about Farrell’s run-blocking work, grading him second-best among tight ends in that skill last season. The 49ers have long prioritized run blocking at tight end, as Kittle fantasy GMs can confirm, and Farrell (27) should give them a quality option in his prime.
Safety has been a wildly unstable position in San Francisco. From toggling Jimmie Ward between safety and the slot to Jaquiski Tartt‘s crushing INT drop to Talanoa Hufanga‘s All-Pro season preceding two injury-marred slates, the 49ers have struggled to staff this role. That will continue, as 2024 rookie starter Malik Mustapha is expected to miss regular-season time due to a Week 18 ACL tear. In Pinnock and Grant, the team grabbed two starters at cheap rates. One of the two will slide in as depth post-Tashaun Gipson.
Not exactly beacons of safety stability, as Julian Love and Xavier McKinney left town, the Giants turned to Pinnock as a starter from 2023-24. A 2021 Jets fifth-round pick, Pinnock reunites with Saleh after the team waived him in 2022. Pinnock started 37 games on his rookie contract, making 85 tackles in each of the past two seasons. He intercepted two passes in 2023, taking one back for a touchdown, and combined to make 10 TFLs over the past two years. PFF graded Pinnock as a top-50 safety in 2023 but placed him 78th last season.
Pinnock is on track to start, impressing to the point two-year starter Ji’Ayir Brown is in competition with Grant and fifth-round rookie Marques Sigle for the other spot. Justin Simmons replaced Grant in 2024. Grant started 32 games for the Falcons from 2022-23.
With Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk unlikely to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers still stood down at receiver. The Jauan Jennings–Ricky Pearsall duo will be important until Aiyuk returns, but Robinson will be relied upon early in the season as well. The former Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford tertiary target impressed as Los Angeles’ primary WR3 last season, hauling in 31 passes for 505 yards and seven touchdown grabs.
The nine-year veteran collected guarantees into Year 2 of his deal, pointing to an expectation for the four-time 400-yard performer to be a regular in the 49ers’ offense. Though, Aiyuk returning would stand to slide Robinson to the WR4 post. Robinson is suddenly not a safe bet, either, after pleading no contest to a DUI charge. A three-game suspension, which Robinson has preemptively appealed, could further limit the 49ers to open the season.
Although a rumor connected the 49ers to Davante Adams, nothing came out of it. Adams signed a two-year, $46MM deal with the Rams. The 49ers allocated their money to extensions, having already committed to Aiyuk as their high-priced wideout.
As it turned out, the 49ers did not have a deal in place with D.J. Humphries, who joins Adams with the Rams. Dillard represents a shaky swing option, having been a Titans release — after being demoted — one season into a three-year, $29MM deal. Dillard, though, played as a Packers backup last year and cost the veteran minimum. Dillard joins Spencer Burford and as the 49ers’ top swing options at tackle.
Weeks wanted to stay with the Texans, but they moved on from the longest-tenured player in franchise history. The 39-year-old long snapper will play his 16th season in San Francisco, being part of a historically old snapper-punter duo. Morstead is also 39 but will reunite with Saleh, who had the ex-Saints Super Bowl winner installed as his punter during two separate stints while employed as Jets HC. Morstead averaged at least 47.2 yards per punt as a Jet; six-year option Mitch Wishnowsky — cut after suffering a back injury last November — only reached that number once in six seasons.
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Although the 49ers discussed a deal with Jameis Winston, they circled back to Jones, who was closely linked to being the team’s preference when it traded up to No. 3 overall in 2021.
Shanahan was reported to have preferred Jones then, only to be talked out of the move by his front office due to the poor value the low-ceiling Alabama product carried compared to Trey Lance. Shanahan’s success with Garoppolo and Purdy probably makes him a better authority on quarterback play, and while it is worth wondering if Jones would be a better QB had he developed under Shanahan (almost definitely yes), he follows Sam Darnold as a midcareer Bay Area backup option.
Jones fell far from his Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up perch, seeing Bill Belichick‘s wildly irresponsible Matt Patricia-as-OC gamble accelerate a freefall for his QB. After the disjointed 2022, Jones did not recapture his form under Bill O’Brien, being demoted before the 2023 season ended.
Jones finished last season as the Jaguars’ starter, after Trevor Lawrence‘s two-injury 2024. Jones averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt and posted an 8:8 TD-INT ratio. The former No. 15 overall pick was at 7.3 as a rookie under Josh McDaniels, guiding the Patriots to a playoff berth. Shanahan did well with another notable ex-McDaniels pupil (Garoppolo), but as Darnold not sniffing the starting job in 2023 showed, no QB controversy exists here.
Re-signings:
Juszczyk was on a two-year, $9.1MM deal but ended up being released as the 49ers reshuffled their roster in free agency. The decorated fullback considered joining the Steelers after making a free agency visit, but he is now on his fourth 49ers contract.
In place as Shanahan’s fullback for eight seasons, Juszczyk has made the last nine Pro Bowls — albeit at a position long relegated to niche status — and has caught 184 passes (13 for TDs) as a 49er. Reminding of Fletcher Cox, who rejoined the Eagles after an offseason release in 2023, Juszczyk (34) will be back with his longtime team.
It looks like Bartch will be a low-cost Aaron Banks replacement opposite Dominick Puni. The 49ers have developed Bartch in their system over the past two years, adding him in 2023 — after the Jaguars’ deadline Ezra Cleveland trade prompted them to cut a guard. Bartch looks likely to beat out Nick Zakelj for the team’s left guard job. Despite being mostly a 49ers backup in his time with the team, Bartch has made 22 career starts (20 with the Jags).
Notable losses:
- Brandon Allen, QB
- Aaron Banks, G
- De’Vondre Campbell, LB
- Maliek Collins, DT (post-June 1 cut)
- Chris Conley, WR (retired)
- Josh Dobbs, QB
- Jon Feliciano, G (retired)
- Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB (released)
- Leonard Floyd, DE (released)
- Tashaun Gipson, S
- Dre Greenlaw, LB
- Javon Hargrave, DT (post-June 1 cut)
- Charlie Heck, T
- Talanoa Hufanga, S
- Drake Jackson, DE (waived)
- Greg Joseph, K (released)
- Nick McCloud, CB
- Elijah Mitchell, RB
- Jaylon Moore, T
- George Odum, S (released)
- Taybor Pepper, LS (released)
- Nicholas Petit-Frere, RT (waived)
- Eric Saubert, TE
- Charvarius Ward, CB
- Mitch Wishnowsky, P (released)
- Rock Ya-Sin, CB
- Isaac Yiadom, CB
Four Super Bowl LVIII starters joined Hufanga, who certainly would have lined up in that game had he not torn an ACL, in one of the most eventful free agency exoduses in recent NFL history. The 49ers, though, already locked up Aiyuk and Deommodore Lenoir last year. And they saved up for Kittle, Warner and Purdy paydays. Thus, a talent dispersion commenced.
Of the departing contingent, Greenlaw drew the most retention interest from the team. The 49ers took the step of flying their top power brokers to Texas to meet with Greenlaw after he had committed to the Broncos. The 11th-hour pitch during the legal tampering period brought an offer increase — a proposal that surpassed the Broncos’ three-year, $31.5MM invite — but could not convince Greenlaw to back out of his Denver agreement.
It is not known if the 49ers out-offered the Broncos in terms of total value or even full guarantees. With Denver only giving him essentially one fully guaranteed year ($11.5MM), it stands to reason the 49ers did not top that number by much.
Based on the razor-thin margin separating the Chiefs from the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, a reasonable case can be made Greenlaw’s Achilles tear — suffered while trotting onto the field in the first half — cost the NFC champions a title. Travis Kelce reawakened following Greenlaw’s exit, as the Chiefs targeted Oren Burks in coverage.
The 49ers did not see Greenlaw return until Week 15. He was limited to 34 snaps, affecting the Broncos’ guarantee number. The 49ers will move on from a fifth-round success story, and while they pursued ex-Colt E.J. Speed before his Texans deal, Dee Winters — the player the 49ers regularly used De’Vondre Campbell over in 2024 — in place as the team’s hopeful new Warner sidekick.
The 49ers did not offer Ward a deal to stay, extending the much younger Lenoir in-season. Ward wanted to return but was miffed no proposal came. Even if the 49ers wanted Ward back, their situation would not have made it realistic they could compete with the Colts’ three-year, $54MM offer ($27MM fully guaranteed). Ward struggled in 2024, dealing with the death of his 1-year-old daughter, but was a valuable 49ers contributor from 2022-23. The latter season brought a second-team All-Pro nod; desperate for better boundary CB play, the Colts paid up.
Joining Greenlaw, Banks and Ward among PFR’s top 50 free agents, Hufanga found a team willing to bet on his ceiling rather than punish him for missing much of the past two seasons. The Broncos beefed up their defensive middle by adding he and Greenlaw, but Hufanga — a 2022 All-Pro safety who missed 17 games from 2023-24 — fetched a three-year, $39MM deal with $20MM at signing.
It is likely Hufanga would have challenged Tre’von Moehrig as this year’s highest-paid safety (3/51) had he not suffered the ACL tear in 2023 and wrist malady last season. The Broncos were willing to bet on the high upside the 25-year-old talent showed in 2022 (97 tackles, four INTs, two sacks, two forced fumbles, five TFLs), and if Hufanga can stay healthy (a big ask), Sean Payton‘s team will have a bargain at $13MM AAV.
Banks parlayed his three starter seasons into a Packers windfall, collecting four-year, $77MM pact — as this offseason continued to reward free agent guards. The 49ers were not viewed as a serious contender for Banks due to their situation, but going from a former second-rounder to Bartch could bring a noticeable drop-off. Banks landed with one of the Shanahan system outposts (Matt LaFleur‘s offense), and the 49ers are continuing their Trent Williams-and-scraps O-line philosophy. None of the 49ers’ other starting O-linemen are tied to a deal north of $6MM AAV.
This also meant letting Moore walk. John Lynch was surprised Moore commanded a $15MM-per-year Chiefs offer; advanced metrics did not view Moore as an above-average tackle in San Francisco, but he attracted interest based on a late-season stay filling in for Williams.
Another D-tackle overhaul commenced in San Francisco as well. The team’s $21MM-per-year Hargrave deal to overlap with Purdy’s rookie contract lingers on the books as dead money.
The 49ers lead the NFL in dead cap, already at $95.15MM before training camp’s conclusion. The team will see only $6.7MM from the Hargrave cut hit the books this year; another $16.6MM awaits in 2026. The team still has $15.1MM in Arik Armstead money on its 2025 payroll, while Ward void years brings a $12.3MM penalty. Floyd’s one-and-done, despite an 8.5-sack season, brings an $8.63MM cap hit.
Draft:
- Round 1, No. 11: Mykel Williams (DE, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 43: Alfred Collins (DT, Texas) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 75: Nick Martin (LB, Oklahoma State) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 100: Upton Stout (CB, Western Kentucky) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 113: CJ West (DT, Indiana) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 138: Jordan Watkins (WR, Ole Miss) (signed)
- Round 5: No. 147 (from Saints through Commanders): Jordan James (RB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 160 (from Vikings): Marques Sigle (S, Kansas State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 227: Kurtis Rourke (QB, Indiana) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 249: Connor Colby (G, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 7, 252: Junior Bergen (WR, Montana) (signed)
Although the 49ers have authorized midlevel free agent deals and traded a third-round pick for Chase Young, Williams is the most significant investment in a Nick Bosa sidekick. The 49ers have cycled through these pieces throughout Bosa’s tenure. The Floyd release represented the latest such switch, and while the team moved close to a Joey Bosa deal, the Bills coming in with what was probably a much better offer broke up the Bosa reunion. San Francisco kept this position on the radar, however.
After hosting Williams on a “30” visit, the 49ers pulled the trigger. Joining Jalon Walker as the latest Georgia pass rushers to go in the first round, Williams ranked below Walker (per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler) but went ahead of his Bulldogs teammate. More of a power rusher, Williams has shown the ability to move inside, which could give the 49ers interesting options. This is the team’s top DE investment since taking Nick Bosa second overall in 2019.
The former five-star recruit played through an early-season injury in 2024, but he was never a statistical standout in college (zero six-sack or 10-TFL seasons). A pair of second-team All-SEC seasons are on Williams’ resume, however, and the 49ers will expect a bigger early workload compared to their second-round Drake Jackson investment. The 49ers were believed to have shown interest in trading up for Tetairoa McMillan, a player the Rams coveted as well. But San Francisco will still carry two first-round wideouts on its roster.
The injury Kevin Givens suffered is expected to sideline him into the regular season, opening the door for Collins. At 332 pounds, Collins will be expected to be a difference-maker in the run game. He teamed with Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat at Texas — during a six-year college stay — but did not land a first- or second-team all-conference honor as a Longhorn. The 49ers are suddenly thin at D-tackle, and Collins may be needed to make a quick jump to complement Jordan Elliott and elevate what was an 18th-place run defense last season.
Stout is expected to win the slot cornerback competition. Considering Lenoir’s dual role in recent years, it will be interesting to see if the 49ers give their highest-paid corner more of a boundary-based role during his extension’s first season.
Stout filling the slot role Renardo Green was rumored to hold at this time last year is interesting, and the 49ers have flexibility due to Green and Lenoir’s skillsets. Green, though, barely played in the slot (33 snaps) last season. He will be expected to man one perimeter, Lenoir the other. At 5-foot-8, Stout led all DBs in bench press reps (21) and in the gauntlet drill at the Combine; he also played in the slot at North Texas and Western Kentucky.
Greenlaw’s departure could clear a path for Martin, rounding out a defense-heavy top of the draft. After a first-team All-Big 12 season (with Texas and Oklahoma still in the conference), Martin suffered a season-ending knee injury last year. He was ready for training camp, but it does appear Dee Winters (PFF’s No. 38 off-ball ‘backer last year) will enter the season as Warner’s wingman.
Other:
The 49ers could not replace DeMeco Ryans following his 2023 Houston move, with the defense nosediving under Sorensen. While the team wanted to retain the special teams staffer-turned-DC in an ST role again, the sides separated (Sorensen is now the Cowboys’ ST coordinator). Enter Saleh, an ideal candidate due to the energetic coordinator/exasperated HC’s experience under Shanahan. Saleh held the DC role twice as long as Ryans, and the 49ers’ 2019 surge on this side of the ball came under Saleh.
Saleh interviewed for the Cowboys, Jaguars and Raiders’ HC jobs. Being more Rooney Rule filler in Dallas, Saleh looked to be the Jaguars’ second choice — had the Liam Coen caper failed. Anthony Campanile, whom the Jags hired as DC, was viewed as the 49ers’ contingency plan in case Saleh landed the Jacksonville HC gig. Saleh went 20-36 as Jets HC, being saddled with overseeing the Aaron Rodgers circus while navigating Woody Johnson‘s overreach. The owner’s impulsive firing did not key a turnaround, and Saleh was mostly stuck with Zach Wilson during his Jets stint.
Saleh, 46, still rebuilt New York’s defense; the unit went from last place in 2021 to fourth in ’22. Gang Green ranked third in total defense in 2023; this came as it looked like the 49ers lost their identity post-Ryans. Saleh could be back on the HC radar next year; going 7-10 twice with Wilson as the primary QB1 is aging rather well. But the 49ers also could benefit from Saleh’s Big Apple struggles, giving them the chance to ensure vital continuity on the side of the ball Shanahan does not oversee.
Klay Kubiak‘s move to OC could trigger HC interest; Mike McDaniel did as a non-play-calling 49ers OC, while Matt LaFleur was also a Shanahan disciple. But that might be a stretch for now. Lombardi, fired 1 1/2 years into his Raiders OC stay, may be the more notable move on offense. Purdy’s QBs coach during his dominant 2023 season, Griese turned down a Jets HC interview and has left the profession.
After the 49ers appeared to solve their contract procrastination problem, Jennings has attempted to make his an issue. Jennings signed a two-year, $11.89MM deal as an RFA last year but then excelled as an Aiyuk fill-in. The veteran WR clearly views his 975-yard season — a career-high mark by over 500 — as worthy of a new salary bracket.
Jennings, 28, is also battling a calf injury; Shanahan disputed this is a hold-in tactic. The former seventh-round pick would draw extensive UFA interest come March, but he is attempting to market his age-28 season in this current effort. No official trade request has emerged, but seeing as this is a 49ers wide receiver, that would not exactly surprise.
Aiyuk landed back in trade rumors, somehow contributing even more such content to the PFR pages, but coming off the ACL tear, such a move was unrealistic. The 49ers did not shut down the idea of an Aiyuk trade, which would have been bizarre given the seemingly resolved 2024 trade saga, but they paid him a $22.85MM roster bonus. Aiyuk, 27, a reserve/PUP list candidate. Seeing as he went down Oct. 20, 2024, a return by Week 1 would be well within the usual recovery timeline. Each injury, of course, is different, and this was not a clean tear.
Lynch said this summer the 49ers, despite hosting Gabe Davis on a visit, were no longer pursuing WR help. If this Jennings absence drags on much longer, especially with a potential Robinson suspension in play to overlap with an Aiyuk early-season absence, the team may need to reconsider that stance.
Top 10 cap charges for 2025:
- Trent Williams, LT: $21.14MM
- Nick Bosa, DE: $20.43MM
- Fred Warner, LB: $16.06MM
- George Kittle, TE: $14.21MM
- Brandon Aiyuk, WR: $9.92MM
- Yetur Gross-Matos, DE: $9.47MM
- Brock Purdy, QB: $9.12MM
- Christian McCaffrey, RB: $8.37MM
- Bryce Huff, DE: $7.95MM
- Deommodore Lenoir, CB: $5.83MM
Based on 2024 records (.415 win percentage), the 49ers’ schedule is the NFL’s easiest. With McCaffrey, Warner and Williams back at full strength, the 49ers only play four 2024 playoff teams. That can deceive, as the 49ers should not be viewed as a favorable opponent despite their 6-11 2024, but a path back to the territory San Francisco inhabited from 2021-23 should be considered viable.
The 49ers’ injury history brings pause, but Shanahan’s four NFC championship game appearances since 2019 offers what looks like a high 2025 floor. A rejuvenated Rams team awaits, albeit with Matthew Stafford injury questions back in the equation, but a worst-to-first NFC West route presents itself for one of the NFL’s most accomplished nuclei.
