49ers' key free-agent signing from 2025 aged like spoiled milk

The San Francisco 49ers' 2025 offseason was less about adding impact talent and more about cutting excess, both in terms of age and cost.

Yet the Niners spent (relatively) big bucks on two players: quarterback Mac Jones and tight end Luke Farrell.

While Jones' presence as Brock Purdy's primary backup under center paid off handsomely, Farrell's addition might have prompted general manager John Lynch to wish for a do-over.

San Francisco grabbed the former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end on a three-year, $15.75 million contract, averaging out to an average of $5.25 million per season.

That's a good chunk of change for a player not known for his offensive pass-catching abilities, highlighted by the fact he had only 36 catches for 318 yards with no touchdowns in the four years prior to heading out to the Bay Area. Yet the 49ers justified it by saying Farrell would serve as a primary blocker at the spot, thereby freeing up All-Pro George Kittle to perform more of those playmaking duties.

Well, even that expectation didn't pan out with desired results.

Luke Farrell deal with 49ers is already aging poorly

Farrell could've assumed a substantially bigger role way back in Week 1 when Kittle suffered a hamstring injury that subsequently landed him on injured reserve. Yet it was another backup tight end, Jake Tonges, who became something of a household name in Kittle's stead. Not Farrell.

Nonetheless, Farrell's presence as a blocker didn't exactly provide the expected boost. According to Pro Football Focus, of 457 offensive snaps taken, 264 were in run support with only 36 in pass protection. The balance of 157 snaps featured Farrell running routes as a receiving target, and he managed just 14 targets in that role.

And the most infamous might be in that Week 18 bout against the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 1 seed in which he pretty much opted not to fight for a ball that turned into a Hawks defensive takeaway:

So, perhaps unsurprisingly, PFF opted to list Farrell as San Francisco's worst free-agent addition of the year, having written:

"Farrell was awarded a three-year contract primarily based on his blocking prowess, but that didn’t entirely carry over in his first season with the 49ers. The ex-Jaguar allowed two sacks on 36 pass-blocking snaps, and he was outsnapped by rookie tight end Jake Tonges by the end of the year. Farrell’s contract wasn’t necessarily monstrous, but his play didn’t seem to correlate with the value granted."

There's zero in guaranteed money for Farrell moving forward, so it'll be interesting to see whether or not the 49ers want to give the backup tight end another chance at making a positive impact.

If one year is enough evidence, likely not.