It’s been a busy free agency for the San Francisco 49ers, but it’s been one defined by far more goodbyes than hellos.
Since the start of the legal tampering period on Monday, a slew of players including stars and franchise stalwarts have bid farewell to the Niners.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, named to nine straight Pro Bowls, was released. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw left for Denver, as did safety Talanoa Hufanga. Cornerback Charvarius Ward is now a Colt.
In addition too seeing ton of players depart, the 49ers have also missed out on big opportunities to reload, most notably losing out on the Joey Bosa sweepstakes to the Buffalo Bills despite having his brother Nick on the team.
As Doug Clawson of CBS Sports noted on X, formerly Twitter, teams across the NFL are spending a lot of money on 49ers players, and San Francisco is not spending a lot of money on players from across the NFL. The disparity between those two figures currently sits at historic levels.
Other teams have spent $321M on 49ers' free agents this offseason, the most money spent on a team's departing FAs in NFL history (thru Day 4 of FA)
— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) March 14, 2025
SF has only spent $37M on FAs, making it the largest FA spending deficit ($284M) in NFL history, by over $80M!
This sort of offseason didn’t come as a shock to the 49ers. General manager John Lynch hinted towards the fact that San Francisco had to clean up its books a bit while speaking with reporters at the NFL scouting combine.
"I think since Kyle and I have been here, we've been certainly a top five, I believe, number two, cash-spending team in the four years. Going into the fourth year, I think we're the fourth-highest cash-spending team, so at some point you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate," Lynch said [via NBC Sports Bay Area]. "You can't just keep pressing the pedal, and I think there's some good that could come out.
"We need to get younger; I think we're the oldest team in football trying to make a run at the deal last year."
They’ve certainly gotten younger. Or at least, less old. But it’s come at a price. Players have lost out on beloved teammates, and the team will be looking to reestablish its identity on the fly in 2025.
One key part of that identity is expected to be quarterback Brock Purdy, for whom much of the money-saving moves are presumably being made. Purdy has been playing on a rookie contract for his entire San Francisco career, and is now due a massive extension—a reality that Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons was eager to remind the 49ers about on social media.
We will see how the 49ers’ overhaul works out in 2025. While they haven’t won a Super Bowl in recent years, San Francisco has been one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL over the past decade, having reached at least the NFC championship game in four of the past six seasons. If they make it back in the next few years, they’re going to look like a whole new team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 49ers' Demoralizing Free Agency Run Is Backed Up by the Numbers.
