The San Francisco 49ers have a challenging offseason ahead of them. There are plenty of holes they need to address, and perhaps more importantly, they need to figure out which of their young players are actually worth keeping around.
General manager John Lynch emphasized the importance of getting younger and cheaper last offseason, and that's exactly what the Niners did. They leaned heavily on younger players to varying degrees of success, and now they have to assess which players are going to help them as they try to win a championship.
Let's look at three young players whom San Francisco would probably be best served moving on from this offseason.
WR Jacob Cowing
The 49ers selected Jacob Cowing in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft hoping he could be a deep threat, given his speed. He had just four catches for 80 yards in his rookie season with a long of 41 yards, but then he spent all of the 2025 season injured.
The Niners may choose to keep him around for another year to see if he can finally live up to his potential, but his career arc is becoming far too reminiscent of Danny Gray's for comfort.
Maybe the 49ers should cut bait and look for another speedy wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft to see if they get any luckier this time.
CB Renardo Green
The 49ers could certainly improve in the secondary next season, and it is unclear whether Renardo Green is a long-term part of the future on defense. After a promising rookie season in which the Florida State product had one interception and one forced fumble, he seemed to regress in year two.
Probably his signature moment in the 2025 season came on the sideline in San Francisco's loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs. Head coach Kyle Shanahan laid into him for a mistake he made on the field, which is never a great sign.
The 49ers can get better everywhere on defense next season, so they should look for an upgrade at cornerback.
RB Isaac Guerendo
This one seemed pretty obvious all season as Isaac Guerendo found himself slowly pushed out of the picture as the season went on.
He looked pretty good in his rookie season filling in for an injured Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason, but Guerendo did not receive a single carry in 2025.
With rookie Jordan James eclipsing Guerendo on the depth chart late in 2025, it seems like the Niners will be moving on from the two-year pro soon.
The Niners have to get better next season, and that could very well start with moving on from three players who probably will not factor into their long-term plans.