Even while it may not sit well with fans, NFL teams occasionally have to rearrange their rosters in order to cut contracts that could hinder their success in the future. The 49ers, who have played in two of the last six Super Bowls and four of the last six NFC Championship games, seem to be doing just that.
When the league year started last week, the 49ers were having a fire sale while most other clubs were attempting to improve themselves through free agency. In exchange for a potential fifth-round pick, they had already transferred receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders, but that was only the start.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan remained composed when the following starters left in free agency: safety Talanoa Hufanga, edge-rusher Leonard Floyd, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Charvarius Ward, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and offensive lineman Aaron Banks.
Juszczyk, a nine-time Pro Bowler, was re-signed by the team to an easily attainable two-year, $8 million contract. However, the squad lost key role players including defensive lineman Maliek Collins and offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, as well as everyone else on the list.
In addition, the 49ers sent running back Jordan Mason, who did a great job filling in for Christian McCaffrey due to injury last season, to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
It should come as no surprise that the 49ers were spending relatively little during this free agency round, therefore there were no new saviors. None of the three main names—former New England Patriots QB bust Mac Jones, journeyman receiver Demarcus Robinson, and former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell—project as franchise-definers.
What caused this significant renovation? After all those recent victories, why would a squad that finished 6-11 in 2024 manage to ruin 2025 as well?
The first is because several of the castoffs suffered injuries in 2024. Due to his recovery from a torn achilles tendon sustained during San Francisco’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Greenlaw only appeared in two games last season. In addition to playing just 12 games last season due to knee and hamstring ailments, Hufanga (who signed with the Denver Broncos alongside Greenlaw) was only able to play seven games.
He also lost his one-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, in October of last year. Greenlaw and Hufanga would both earn more money in the Mile High City, and Ward naturally desired a change of scenery. Additionally, Samuel has only participated in a complete season in 2021 because to his extremely physical approach.
This type of activity has been done before by the Lynch/Shanahan team. After placing a league-high 18 players on injured reserve, the 49ers ended the 2020 season with a 6-10 record. San Francisco cut a number of players in the 2021 free agency window, and aside from Trent Williams, the future Hall of Fame left tackle, who signed a six-year, $138 million contract, there were not many notable acquisitions.
In 2021, a much healthier 49ers squad finished 10-7 and lost the NFC Championship game by a slim margin to the eventual Super Bowl winner Los Angeles Rams.
The issue of Brock Purdy’s upcoming second contract is another. As you may have heard a dozen times or more, the quarterback was selected last in the 2022 selection and has surprised everyone by becoming a reliable starter in the NFL. Purdy’s cheap rookie contract expires in 2025, and the 49ers will eventually need to re-sign him at a cost that will likely surpass $35–40 million annually overall, including guaranteed money that will have a significant impact on the team’s salary cap regardless of how it is set up.
Lynch gave an explanation of the impending teardown at the scouting combine in late February.
Lynch remarked, “I think we have been in the top five … I think the No 2 cash-spending team since Kyle and I have been here.” As we enter the fifth year, I believe we rank fourth in terms of cash expenditures over the previous four years. You must eventually recalibrate, or at least reset somewhat. You cannot simply push the pedal repeatedly. I believe it has the potential to be beneficial. We must get younger.
By the way, this was in answer to a reporter’s inquiry regarding the potential trade of Brandon Aiyuk, the team’s top wide receiver still on the team, who just last year agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal extension with a $45 million guarantee. Aiyuk also missed ten games in 2024 because his right knee’s ACL and MCL were torn.
In reference to the Aiyuk scenario, Lynch stated, “That usually happens with exceptionally excellent players.” “I recall having similar discussions two years ago. You always listen to the calls that come in.
Without a doubt, the 49ers will age, but will they improve as much as they did in 2021? The franchise has $86 million in dead cap money in 2025 and $21.5 million in 2026, so throwing all that money out the window in the near future leaves them with no options.
Due to the high cost, next year’s offerings are not much more extensive. According to OverTheCap.com, the 49ers will have around $65 million in cash on hand in 2026 as a result of those dead salary cap commitments; however, keep in mind that this is before any deal Purdy signs is taken into account. With Williams at age 37, McCaffrey at age 29, Aiyuk at age 28, George Kittle at age 32, Fred Warner at age 29, and Nick Bosa at age 28, they will also have significant salary cap liabilities. No one is getting any younger here, but it does not mean that any or all of those players will be struggling professionally.
Fortunately, the Trey Lance albatross has also left the building. In order to move up from 12th to third in the draft to choose Lance, the quarterback for North Dakota State, the 49ers surrendered their 2021, 2022, and 2023 first-round picks as well as a 2022 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. Lance is a free agent following a brief run as Dak Prescott’s backup with the Dallas Cowboys, and he did nothing noteworthy for San Francisco. The 49ers are where they are currently in part because the drafts they made in those three seasons (2021–2023) did little to strengthen the team.
Given that Lynch and Shanahan have been leading the team since 2017, this rebuild might take longer than either of them has ever had to endure. In the NFL, owners and fans are impatient, and Lynch and Shanahan made mistakes. It is time to construct a new highway because the 49ers’ current incarnation is running out of road.
Fortunately, the Trey Lance albatross has also left the building. In order to move up from 12th to third in the draft to choose Lance, the quarterback for North Dakota State, the 49ers surrendered their 2021, 2022, and 2023 first-round picks as well as a 2022 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. Lance is a free agent following a brief run as Dak Prescott’s backup with the Dallas Cowboys, and he did nothing noteworthy for San Francisco. The 49ers are where they are currently in part because the drafts they made in those three seasons (2021–2023) did little to strengthen the team.
Given that Lynch and Shanahan have been leading the team since 2017, this rebuild might take longer than either of them has ever had to endure. In the NFL, owners and fans are impatient, and Lynch and Shanahan made mistakes. It is time to construct a new highway because the 49ers’ current incarnation is running out of road.
