A lack of activity from the San Francisco 49ers on Day 1 of the NFL’s legal negotiating window has been perceived by some as an early offseason disaster. Trying to grade their first day of real offseason activity isn’t as easy as “lots of players out, few players in.”
Their early grade is a C. And not like, almost a C+ or a C-, it’s the most C that has ever been a C. Right on the button. Average. Unspectacular. Some right. Some wrong. But overall not extraordinary.
It was not necessarily a good day. Longtime fullback Kyle Juszczyk was informed of his impending release. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga agreed to contracts with the Denver Broncos. Left guard Aaron Banks agreed to a huge new deal with the Green Bay Packers. Cornerback Charvarius Ward earned a $60 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Swing tackle Jaylon Moore got a $30 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. And all of that came after an offseason where they agreed to trade Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
It’s undeniably a turning of the page for the 49ers. They’re on to a newish chapter after a six-year run that featured four NFC championship appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl. While there are questions that can’t be answered until the team plays in games, the changes ahead weren’t out of the blue.
The 49ers came to an agreement with former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell on a three-year contract. He figures to slide in as some form of replacement for Juszczyk.
They began preparations for life after the other free agents they lost in previous years. Last year they selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall No. 31 overall, presumably knowing they’d likely not have Samuel on the roster beyond the 2024 season. They used a second-round pick on cornerback Renardo Green in last year’s draft knowing they’d probably be in their last of year with Ward on the roster. Greenlaw’s exit was a small surprise, but they have multiple young LBs on the roster who should be in the mix for the starting Will LB job alongside Fred Warner. At left guard they were never going to play in a pool for Banks that included a contract north of $75 million. They re-signed Ben Bartch and have Spencer Burford on the roster as potential replacements for a player who was roughly a league-average guard last season. Writing went on the wall for Hufanga’s exit in 2023, and then again in 2024 when the team selected safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha in those drafts.
It was a shock from a pure volume standpoint, but nothing that happened Monday dramatically altered the 49ers’ course to the postseason for the 2025 season.
They need to find affordable free agents who can fill some of the holes on their roster. Draft picks are going to be key as they restock their roster with cost-controlled talent who can help strengthen other weaknesses. They also need some of their recent draft picks to make leaps and become Pro Bowl caliber players. They also desperately need Brock Purdy to be good.
Maybe those things don’t work out and the 2025 season goes up in flames. That outcome is as on the table as a Super Bowl run. But a roster reset was necessary for an aging group that was banged up and stumbled to a 6-11 finish in 2024. That reset should help their flexibility under the salary cap in 2026 and beyond, which in theory helps their chances of re-opening a long-term window.
There are certainly moves the club needs to make through the rest of free agency. They can’t sit idle until the draft and lean on “compensatory picks” as some offseason win. If that’s where things stand by Draft Day we can vociferously doll out Fs for the offseason. Early free agency has certainly been underwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it’s adversely impacted their hopes of returning to Super Bowl contention.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers free agency grade: No reason to panic just yet
