The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2025 free agency cycle at something of a crossroads.
Following a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58, the 49ers regressed mightily in 2024, culminating in a last-place, 6-11 record. Key players like running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw were hampered by injuries, and quarterback Brock Purdy saw his passer rating regress by nearly 20 points.
The 49ers desperately needed a big offseason to recapture the magic of their run to four NFC championship games in five years, but rather than supporting their current core with a collection of new additions, the first day of free agency saw their roster get raided of talent.
The losses included Greenlaw and former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga departing for the Denver Broncos, Pro Bowl cornerback Charvarius Ward signing with the Indianapolis Colts, starting offensive guard Aaron Banks inking a $77 million deal with the Green Bay Packers, and promising tackle Jaylon Moore joining the Kansas City Chiefs.
Add in last week’s trade of wide receiver Deebo Samuel and the releases of long-time fullback Kyle Juszczyk and two-time Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, and it’s easy to see why ESPN’s Bill Barnwell identified the 49ers as one of his biggest losers of free agency.
“This offseason feels like a bit of a cultural and financial reset for the 49ers,” wrote Barnwell. “It’s tough to recall a team losing more than $88 million worth of talent on one day of free agency, but that’s the combined average annual salary of the seven 49ers players who left for other teams Monday.”
The good news for the 49ers is that all the departures have freed up tens of millions of dollars in cap space, and some of the free-agent losses will result in draft pick compensation. Yet with division rivals Los Angeles Rams adding future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Davante Adams to an already stacked roster, the 49ers have a lot of work to do to get back to the top of the NFC West.
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