Plenty of teams have called upon former 49ers players this offseason, but these still-available free agents remain without a job.
It's trendy to be a former San Francisco 49ers player over the course of the 2025 offseason.
Partially due to their recent efforts to both get younger and to curb player spend, the Niners have avoided having to pay more than $300 million in player salaries after their respective departures from San Francisco so far, a number that'll certainly rise if more players are jettisoned between now and Week 1.
Left guard Aaron Banks inked a lucrative deal to join the Green Bay Packers, while safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw are receiving nice paychecks from the Denver Broncos.
That said, there are plenty of former 49ers players who are waiting to put pen to paper with new teams.
And some of them might have to wait well beyond the second and third waves of free agency to do so, if at all.
Particularly these former Niners who remain free agents.
QB Trey Lance
It's likely a tough market for quarterback Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft who flamed out in San Francisco after starting just four games over two seasons before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, who relegated him to a third-string option in 2023 and 2024.
Lance remains a project, perhaps best suited to a QB3 role on a team willing to take a flier on him. But, considering there are plenty of projects to be had in this year's draft, the one-time 49ers hopeful probably won't get a phone call anytime soon.
LB De'Vondre Campbell
After literally quitting on the Niners in a must-win game last season, resulting in a season-ending suspension, it's likely veteran linebacker De'Vondre Campbell won't garner any interest from the 31 other teams across the league.
No one wants that headache.
QB C.J. Beathard
While nowhere near as significant as Lance, quarterback C.J Beathard's tenure in San Francisco was plenty uninspiring, leading to a departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he remained in a backup role from 2021 through 2023.
Beathard might get a call to round out an offseason depth chart, but don't expect that to happen until well after the draft.
CB Emmanuel Moseley
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley's ascent with the 49ers was an inspiring one, going from an unheard-of undrafted free agent into a Super Bowl starter.
Unfortunately, injuries became the primary theme for Moseley, including a torn ACL just five games into his 2022 campaign, which was enough to convince the Niners to let him walk in free agency the following offseason.
Doubling down on the unfortunate aspects, Moseley's subsequent tenure with the Detroit Lions included even more injuries, which limited his on-field efforts to just three games over the last two years.
Whoever takes a chance on Moseley is gambling on his recent injury history.
OL Daniel Brunskill
Another former San Francisco unsung hero, offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill was exceptionally versatile and had a reputation for shutting down Los Angeles Rams future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald twice a year.
Unlike Moseley, Beathard and Lance, Brunskill carried his reputation over to the Tennessee Titans as a starter, playing there for two years and starting 24 games over the course of 2023 and 2024.
The second and third waves of free agency should be kinder to Brunskill than the first.
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Yes, yet another unsung hero from the 49ers' not-so-distant past.
The Niners dealt running back Jeff Wilson Jr. to the Miami Dolphins in the wake of acquiring All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey halfway through 2022, and Wilson's immediate impact in South Beach was felt where he averaged 4.7 yards per carry and amassed nearly 400 yards over eight games under head coach Mike McDaniel.
But Wilson became something of a forgotten commodity in 2023 and then hardly even saw the field a year later.
For teams looking for a tough veteran with underrated pass-catching skills, the 29-year-old Wilson remains serviceable.
WR Chris Conley
Veteran wide receiver Chris Conley has been on the periphery of San Francisco's depth chart the last two seasons, but the offseason trade of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk's uncertain future could mandate the 49ers bring Conley back as a veteran voice.
RB JaMycal Hasty
Remember running back JaMycal Hasty, the 2020 undrafted free-agent pickup who helped plug the gap during that injury-plagued season for the Niners?
Yes, he's still out there.
Read more from Niner Noise
manual