7 players who could be playing their final season with 49ers
By Peter Panacy
WR Jauan Jennings
Back on a one-year restricted free-agent tender, fellow wide receiver Jauan Jennings is going to be eligible for his first substantial contract in 2025 and might look for a situation where he commands a bigger role than a third-down option and outside blocking specialist.
Jennings certainly won't cost the kind of money that Samuel received and Aiyuk should receive, no. But San Francisco has typically rewarded its star players while letting the fringe contributors walk when they become unrestricted free agents.
That's likely the course the 49ers will take with Jennings in a year's time.
RB Elijah Mitchell
Remember after the 2021 season in which then-rookie running back Elijah Mitchell seemed poised to be the Niners' next star on the ground? After all, Mitchell set a franchise record for a rookie with 963 rush yards despite appearing in only 11 games.
Injuries have dogged Mitchell since, though, and he's now a complementary tailback to the featured All-Pro, Christian McCaffrey. Additionally, San Francisco added rookie running backs Isaac Guerendo and Cody Schrader before and after the 2024 NFL Draft, crowding the position and making Mitchell's long-term status more precarious.
Mitchell might not even make the 49ers' 53-man roster this season, especially if Schrader winds up impressing.