The 49ers weren't overly active in the first week of free agency, but they were definitely in the news a lot.
Now is not the time for San Francisco 49ers fans to get excited about the team's moves and non-moves with one week of NFL free agency in the books.
If anything, the Niners' transactions and departures show a massive shift from being a perennial Super Bowl contender to a partial rebuild and reconstruct. Plus, it's never easy to bid farewell to a sizable crop of fan-favorites, which had to be the case in light of San Francisco's attempts to trim costs.
In contrast, the 49ers have made relatively few free-agent signings to date. Perhaps the biggest marquee name added is quarterback Mac Jones, a potential NFL Draft target of head coach Kyle Shanahan way back in 2021 who now comes in to back up Brock Purdy.
Other than Jones, the Niners' acquisitions aren't exactly needle-moving.
Still, there are some clear-cut winners and losers from the opening week. Let's look at them.
Winner: CEO Jed York
San Francisco spent a league-high $334 million on player money in 2024 (not salary-cap spending), and the result was a 6-11 finish.
Understandably, CEO Jed York wanted to reel in Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's free-spending ways, which had mostly been the case during the 49ers' Super Bowl run. However, in light of some painful contracts (i.e. running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk), York wanted the wild spending to cease.
Well, it happened.
Almost right away, the Niners avoided paying more than $276 million in contracts after departing players signed deals elsewhere.
Now, it's fair to wonder if this makes San Francisco a wholly worse team.
But, if York wanted to spend less money, he certainly got his desire.
Loser: Head coach Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan reportedly stepped in at the 11th hour to block an Aiyuk trade from going through, which resulted in the receiver becoming a $30 million per-year player on his extension, a contract York and 49ers HQ surely now regret.
From 2017 through 2024, York and Co. largely let Shanahan and Lynch do as they please, and the head coach easily had the most influence on roster decisions even if he tended to shy away from contract talks, per his own admission.
Shanahan's loss on this list is less about his now-depleted roster. If anything, the partial teardown is a win for him because it shows faith from York and the front office in the head coach's ability to usher in a new era.
However, in terms of power, it's evident Shanahan lost a lot of it to kick off 2025.
Winner: Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer
Unless you watched precisely zero Niners games last season, you're aware how bad special teams was. It's why San Francisco booted special teams coordinator Brian Schneider before onboarding respected former New York Jets coordinator Brant Boyer in his stead, a move nearly paralleling the reunion with now-defensive coordinator Robert Saleh after his departure from Gang Green.
While the 49ers' free-agent pickups haven't been offseason-winning, there's a notable theme to the majority of them:
- TE Luke Farrell
- S Richie Grant
- LB Luke Gifford
- WR Demarcus Robinson
- DB Tre Brown
- DB Jason Pinnock
- QB Mac Jones
Aside from Jones, and to a lesser extent, Robinson, the added names are established special teams contributors, suggesting Boyer is already having influence on improving what was arguably the Niners' biggest weakness in 2024.
Loser: Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh
Like Shanahan, it's only partially correct to paint Saleh into the loser picture. After all, reports state he fully understood what San Francisco was planning to do this offseason when he became the NFL's top-paid defensive coordinator upon his return to the Bay Area.
That said, the overwhelming bulk of free-agent losses and roster cuts impacted Saleh's side of the ball:
- DT Javon Hargrave
- DT Maliek Collins
- DE Leonard Floyd
- DB Talanoa Hufanga
- CB Charvarius Ward
- LB Dre Greenlaw
- CB Isaac Yiadom
Each of those names played starting roles last season, while Hufanga, Greenlaw and Ward were cornerstone defenders for the last three-plus years.
Even worse, Saleh's defensive line is so poorly depleted that it'll take more than just a single offseason to fully address it.
It's going to be a lot of work.
Winner: (Most of) former 49ers who signed elsewhere
For the most part, former Niners players are cashing in this offseason.
Ward got a three-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts worth up to $60 million, while Hufanga inked a three-year, $45 million contract with the Denver Broncos. Joining him in the Mile High City is Greenlaw on a three-year, $35 million deal.
Swing tackle Jaylon Moore was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs for two years at $30 million, a life-changing payday, while left guard Aaron Banks inked a $77 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.
Hargrave, Collins and Floyd were all quickly signed to quality deals after they were let go, too.
Let's just say it's paying off to be a former 49er.
Loser: Quarterback Brock Purdy
Purdy is likely to receive a hefty payday at some point this offseason, which will ultimately make him a big winner.
But, in light of the Niners' developments thus far, it's hard to put him in a winning category.
For starters, his offensive line is depleted, and two of his top weapons in Samuel and Juszczyk are no longer with the team. Paired with Aiyuk and running back Christian McCaffrey coming off serious injuries, Purdy is going to be tasked with shouldering a bigger load in 2025 than the ones he had in both 2023 and 2024.
Yet the losing extends beyond just the players. Sure, York, Lynch and Shanahan have all reiterated they want Purdy around for the long haul. But the newfound hardline attitude on contracts and player spend leads many to believe San Francisco won't cave to either the quarterback's contractual demands nor what the market dictates.
That could point to a number of potential outcomes, the least worrisome of which would be Purdy not receiving what he ultimately thinks he's worth.
Needless to say, it'll be fascinating to see how all that pans out.
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