Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group

Intro

The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2025 offseason in a different mindset compared to last season. After a disappointing 6–11 season, a team that has consistently competed at the top of the NFC is now facing major change. Key starters are gone, and a massive contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy looms. This offseason signals a shift in direction where the 49ers no longer find themselves chasing a title, but rather aim to reset the roster and plan for long-term success. What does this new phase look like? How do the 49ers navigate the draft and free agency while preparing for Purdy’s extension? All of that will be explored in this pre-draft preview.

Assets

The 49ers have spent this offseason attempting to free up cap space to sign their quarterback, Brock Purdy, to an extension. Despite taking on a league-high $77.8 million in dead money for 2025, the 49ers still hold over $45 million in adjusted cap space which is good for seventh-most in the NFL. This grants the team flexibility to extend Purdy while building a younger, more cost-efficient roster (The Standard). So far, they have let 17 players go, undergoing a bold roster transformation. Many of these players were key starters last season, and have contributed to the 49ers success in recent years. Some key departures include Deebo Samuel (WR), Dre Greenlaw (LB), Charvarius Ward (CB), Aaron Banks (OL), Javon Hargrave (DT), Maliek Collins (DT), and Talanoa Hufanga (S). These moves have reflected the 49ers desire to reset and get younger. Their window with most of their veteran players such as Deebo to win a Super Bowl came to an unfortunate close after the team lost in the NFC Championship to the Eagles in the 2022-2023 season and the Super Bowl to the Chiefs in 2023-2024 season.

The team has limited signings to depth players such as Mac Jones (QB), Luke Farrell (TE), and Demarcus Robinson (WR). They also re-signed Kyle Juszczyk (FB), a key player in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. 

Brock Purdy, who has been a huge bargain for the 49ers in the last several years while leading them to a Super Bowl, has only one year remaining on his rookie contract. Both parties are aiming to reach an agreement before the beginning of the 2025 season; estimates of the contract are around $45-50 million per year. In preparing for the financial hit of Purdy’s extension, the 49ers have had to let go of expensive veterans such as Deebo Samuel and Aaron Banks while also limiting their free agency signings. With 11 picks in this year’s draft (tied with the Ravens for the most of any team) general manager John Lynch is hoping to acquire young, cheap talent from this year’s draft class to fill the many new holes in his roster. 

Stat Breakdown

The former Mr. Irrelevant ranked 9th in overall efficiency for quarterbacks last year, despite the 49ers losing season and the absence of key receivers such as Aiyuk and Deebo for parts of the season. The graph below shows where he ranked among other QBs in EPA per play and completion % above expected. The 49ers are preparing for a severe hit when his extension is finalized, because given recent trends along with his performance, he is owed a significant contract. 

Data Viz by RBSDM

As can seen on the graph below, the 49ers remain in the upper tier of teams offensively in terms of pass and rush EPA. However, San Francisco is barely above the league average EPA on rush plays. The Niners ranked 11th among all teams in EPA per play overall, but only 12th in rush EPA which is a significant drop from their #1 rating last season. Shanahan is known for having success with many different players in the backfield, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, to sustain successful and explosive drives. However, it is evident by this dropoff that CMC’s injuries last season did affect the run game. It can also be argued that injuries to key receivers like Aiyuk and Samuel forced Shanahan to rely more on the rush game compared to previous seasons. In the absence of Samuel, Shanahan is going to look to receivers such as Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall to step up in his offensive strategy alongside George Kittle and a hopefully healthier Brandon Aiyuk. Furthermore, with the loss of guard Aaron Banks, a replacement needs to be drafted for the offensive line.

Data Viz by RBSDM

The next graph below depicts the struggles the Niners defense faced this year in comparison to previous years, ranking 26th in EPA/play last season. An already underperforming defense is now faced with the losses of key defensive playmakers in Ward, Greenlaw, and Hargrave. This once again poses the significant challenge of replacing talent with rookies from this year’s draft class. As mentioned earlier, there is limited opportunity in free agency due to the space the Niners need to leave for Purdy’s extension. 

Data Viz by RBSDM

When specifically analyzing the run game, the 49ers struggled to prevent the run as a whole. Two of the weaker parts of this line can be found on the outside, as shown by the following graph. Poor performance on top of losing key veteran linemen like Collins, Floyd, Hargrave and others, the 49ers are in desperate need of defensive tackles to prevent such high success rates on the left end and right tackle.

Data Viz by Eliana DeTata

As far as pass defense goes, the 49ers could benefit from a cornerback after losing starter Charvarius Ward to add depth. Looking past the importance of the trenches for the 49ers in the draft, they should look to find a young cornerback as well. Renardo Green will step up to fill Ward’s place, but continuing to invest in younger corners will benefit the Niners in the long run.

The much anticipated return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh provides reason for optimism on the defensive front moving forward. In Saleh’s tenure as defensive coordinator from 2017-2020, he led a defense that ranked third in passing yards allowed per game (211.4), fourth in total defense (323.6) and opponent yards per play (5.1), and sixth in opponent yards per rush (4.1) (49ers). Saleh’s impressive record as defensive coordinator during his first tenure gives motivation toward picking key defensive playmakers in the draft to complement his elite coaching strategy.

Draft

The main priorities for the Niners entering draft day are linemen on both sides of the ball as well as cornerbacks.

As pictured above, I addressed defensive needs first by drafting DT Walter Nolen in the first round, followed by CB Benjamin Morrison. In the later rounds, I prioritized guards and tackles for the offensive line in OT Ozzy Trapilo and guard Timothy McKay. Christian McCaffery is becoming older and more injury prone while the 49ers traded RB Jordan Mason; this unveils a major need at running back. I picked RB Trevor Etienne in the 5th round for depth and a glimmer of upside toward becoming a future RB1. Overall, I prioritized the trenches while also picking up cornerbacks to make up for the loss of starter Charvarius Ward. 

Conclusion

The 49ers are officially turning the page, moving on from the veteran core that defined the past five seasons. San Francisco has 11 draft picks and the flexibility to build around Brock Purdy. They must act on this opportunity to reload with young, cost-effective talent. This offseason is much more than a transition year — rather, it’s a defining moment that could shape the next chapter of the franchise. We will see how the remainder of this offseason plays out in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is only one week away.