It'd be fair to be bearish about the San Francisco 49ers offseason with the bulk of transactions now complete.
After all, the biggest memory of general manager John Lynch's moves and non-moves would be what happened in last April's NFL Draft—a series of accused reaches and bad picks, few of which Lynch was able to adequately address in the aftermath.
That said, the entirety of the Niners offseason actually might have been OK... perhaps even good.
And better than that of the Seattle Seahawks, too, despite the NFC West rivals coming off a Super Bowl win the previous February.
Granted, the Hawks may not have needed a mammouth offseason to maintain a championship-caliber roster, and offseason grades don't exactly count for championships anyway.
But, by comparing side-by-side offseason grades from CBS Sports, one might safely say San Francisco won between the two hated rivals.
49ers best Seahawks in CBS Sports' offseason report-card grades
The 49ers' controversial draft certainly overshadowed the numerous highlight moves Lynch and Co. made the previous March, signing future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans and trading for star defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa for a mere third-round pick.
And that's where CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan felt the Niners did their best work, assigning a B-minus grade to the franchise's overall efforts:
Injuries ravaged the 49ers last season, so the simple fact of getting healthy should help them return to form in 2026.Â
That said, GM John Lynch revamped the wide receiver room this offseason, moving on from Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne and bringing in Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency while selecting De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round.
They also added to the defensive line with Odighizuwa to give them more interior pressure after ranking dead last in sacks a season ago. Third-round rookie Romello Height gives San Francisco depth off the edge.
Jennings might be the only susbtantial loss San Francisco feels, but Stribling's own blocking prowess helps make up for that.
In contrast, Sullivan assigning a C-minus grade to Seattle has to be relatively confounding:
They can sleep soundly knowing they are about to unveil a Super Bowl banner in September, but the offseason saw more talent exit than enter for the defending champs. Namely, Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs in free agency.Â
With Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during the playoff run, it forced their hand in the draft to bring in Jadarian Price in the first round. The Notre Dame back has promise and played a complementary role to Jeremiyah Love in the Fighting Irish backfield, so what he looks like with a full workload is still a bit of a mystery.
Meanwhile, the defense was hit hard, with Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant all cashing in elsewhere.
Again, Seahawks general manager John Schneider doesn't have to worry too much about his roster being fully depleted, and the Hawks aren't exactly treating 2026 like it'll be a complete letdown in the wake of a championship. Sadly, they'll still be able to wave that banner in the 49ers' faces.
At least the Niners can take solace in knowing they out-graded Seattle in Sullivan's report card.
Take that, Seahawks!
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