What's ahead for the 49ers offseason?

Free agency begins and hopefully some questions get answered.

After a world-class disappointing 2024, the 49ers head into their off-season with (one thinks) another chance to chase that sixth Super Bowl Ring. With free agency beginning this week, it is worth looking into the needs of the team and how I think they’re going to solve it. It’s perhaps easiest (for me, anyway) to do this position by position.

Quarterback

Yes, it’s time for Brock Purdy to get paid. Nothing makes national sports writers more giddy than pretending to simply ask if he’s worth it. Yes, he is. Whether the 49ers screw this up (rumors that they started the negotiations by lowballing him are concerning) remains to be seen, but it does seem like both parties want to get this done, quickly.

The backup QB position is less settled, with only first year Tanner Mordecai under contract. Josh Dobbs, aka the Passtronaut, seems to think he warrants a chance to start in the league - I have my doubts if that transpires, and if it doesn’t, he’d be great to have back in the fold. Brandon Allen has been capable but as a free agent as well, it’s hard to see them chasing him down if anyone else is interested. I wouldn’t be shocked if the team uses a late-round draft pick here.

Running Back

It seems like everyone is saying the right things about Christian McCaffrey, and that is massive for the team. But his injuries last season should give everyone pause - and the two main backups, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason - are likely gone. (Mason can be kept but it seems for a price the team won’t match, so he may also be trade bait.) 2024 rookie Isaac Guerrendo looked great and impossibly fast, but he got hurt multiple times as well. They almost certainly will draft someone from a historically rich RB draft.

Wide Receiver

The team has traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders, and Brandon Aiyuk (the subject of trade rumors himself, which seems impossible) is unlikely to be back at top form at the start of the season. That means the starting WR corps on Week 1 is likely to be Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. I think both shined last year and often, Jennings looked like a legit WR1, so this isn’t quite as dire as it might sound. However, I’d be SHOCKED if this remained the group for long. In addition to Jacob Cowing, I’d think they could explore a medium-tier WR signing, and likely draft someone as well. Davante Adams is now a free agent, and while they couldn’t pay him the way he might expect, he might be willing to take an incentive laden deal.

Tight End

Spirit animal George Kittle is in theory heading into his last season under contract. He’s said loudly he doesn’t want to play for any other team and is such a locker room leader that I’d honestly be shocked if he doesn’t get an extension. That said, the team has been looking for a second TE - and in theory, perhaps his eventual replacement - for years. 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows recently mocked Penn State TE Tyler Warren to the team in the first round which seems insane, but it would solve the issues at this AND the receiver position. Failing a huge move like that, drafting a TE at some point seems likely.

Offensive Line

Ah, we have now landed on a major, major need. It’s not entirely clear whether the team acknowledges this, but literally everyone else does. LT Trent Williams is still a Hall of Fame tackle and will be back this season. RG Dominick Puni was one of the best rookies in the league last year. But that means right tackle, center and left guard are all question marks. Right tackle has been manned by Colton McKivitz and Jaylen Moore. Neither of them are standouts, and Moore is a free agent. So is left guard Aaron Banks, who has flashed well but likely will command a higher salary elsewhere than the 49ers are prepared to pay. I think the team WILL address this in free agency - Barrows has also suggested the team might target Falcons center Drew Dalman. I know many folks want the team to aggressively draft here, including the first round. Personally, if the team used all 11 draft picks on the OL and DL, I wouldn’t complain. (OK, maybe I would.) This is a massive need that the team needs to take seriously, especially when it comes to protecting Purdy and McCaffrey.

Defensive Line

The other massive need for the team - which is shocking considering how much the team has invested here over the years. But in reality, it’s Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd (a decent signing) and … a lot of guys who if I pointed them out by name, almost everyone would react by saying, “Who?” FA signing Javon Hargrave was a total bust and missed all of 2024 with an injury.. He’s likely to be cut. The team absolutely needs a real presence in the middle of the DL, and I’d expect them to use not just their first round pick here but additional picks and signings as well.

Walter Nolan of Ole Miss has been mocked to the 49ers many times. Let’s see…

Linebacker

The team has one of the best players in the league with Fred Warner, who along with Kittle is an absolute leader, one of the best at his position, and also may be getting extended. The question is who else is going to play next to him. The team would love to re-sign Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl and only made it back for one game last season. But in that game it was immediately clear what a force he is and how much he changes the equation. New (and former) Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh is apparently pounding the table for the team to re-sign Greenlaw, but it’s also possible that another team wants to pay him a lot more than the 49ers can afford. Losing Greenlaw would be a real loss. The third starter is also a question, whether it’s Dee Winters, who showed some spark the last two years or Tatum Bethune or Jalen Graham, who had decent rookie seasons. I’d expect some movement in free agency and the draft here.

This offseason addition is quite, quite welcome.

Secondary

The team is likely to lose CB Charvarius Ward, their best outside corner who tragically lost his daughter last year and has openly said being out on the West Coast is so heartbreaking he expects to play elsewhere. I can’t blame him for that. The team is actually okay at outside corner - Demo Lenoir just signed a massive extension and last years 2nd round pick Renardo Green looked very, very good towards the end of the season. But they’ll almost certainly add another CB. At safety, the team has last years breakout Malik Mustapha as well as Ja’Ayir Brown, also a third round pick from the year prior. Whether or not they can re-sign Talanoa Hufunga is an open question. Chatter suggests he might leave but the safety market has been depressed and Hufunga has also suffered a lot of injuries, both in the NFL and college.

For better or worse, both linebacker and safety are positions the league hasn’t valued a ton, so ideally this benefits the 49ers in their goal to retain Hufunga and Greenlaw.

Special Teams

The team smartly got a new coordinator here, and I honestly can’t believe there’s a real way that K Jake Moody plays again for the 49ers with how godawful he has been. Please, I beg of you, find someone else.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky has been incredibly average but is also signed for two more years so I assume he’s going to keep his spot.

Whatever happens here, if the Niners use a draft pick at either position, I will potentially cry. Like, real tears.

Let’s see where we go from here.