49ers Offseason Preview: Impending Free Agents, Draft Picks, and Top Needs

After narrowly losing in the Super Bowl the year prior, the San Francisco 49ers had a disappointing 2024 season. Despite starting 5-4, San Francisco dropped seven of their final eight games to finish 6-11 on the year. That marked just the second time in the last six seasons the 49ers failed to make the postseason.

Still, San Francisco has solidified itself as one of the top organizations in football, and they're sixth in the early 2026 Super Bowl odds (+1300). With a solidified head coach and high-level players at multiple positions, the 49ers will surely be eyeing a bounce-back 2025 campaign, starting with a strong offseason.

49ers' 2024 Schedule-Adjusted Rankings

• Overall Offense: 12th
• Pass Offense: 9th
• Rush Offense: 12th
• Overall Defense: 26th
• Pass Defense: 14th
• Rush Defense: 29th

49ers' Impending 2025 Free Agents

• Charvarius Ward, CB
• Dre Greenlaw, LB
• De'Vondre Campbell, ILB
• Jon Feliciano, G
• Joshua Dobbs, QB
• Kevin Givens, DT
• Brandon Allen, QB
• Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB
• Isaac Yiadom, CB
• Aaron Banks, G
• Khalil Davis, DT
• Chris Conley, WR
• Rock Ya-Sin, CB
• Eric Saubert, TE
• Pat O'Donnell, P
• Tashaun Gipson, FS
• Charlie Heck, RT
• Ben Bartch, G
• Patrick Taylor, RB
• Curtis Robinson, ILB
• Jaylon Moore, LT
• Talanoa Hufanga, S
• Elijah Mitchell, RB
• Alex Barrett, DE
• Jalen Graham, ILB
• Sam Okuayinonu, DE
• Jake Tonges, T
• Jordan Mason, RB
• Evan Anderson, DT
• Austen Pleasants, LT
• Nick McCloud, CB

Here's a list of the 49ers' impending free agents, per Spotrac.

San Fran has a lengthy list of free agents, but they have the 11th-most cap space entering the offseason.

Offensively, the Niners aren't set to lose many key pieces. Jon Feliciano could return on a smaller contract after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury, but they really only have one major free agent on this side of the ball -- G Aaron Banks. Last season was the highest-graded year of Banks' career, via PFF, but it still ranked just 34th among qualified guards.

That said, Brock Purdy is up for extension, and his new deal will likely dictate much of what the 49ers do elsewhere.

Defense is where San Francisco is going to have to make some decisions this offseason. Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, and De'Vondre Campbell are all up for extension -- though Dre Greenlaw is reportedly on his way out. Ward and Campbell are both 30 now, so it remains to be seen whether the Niners want to allocate major cap resources retaining the core of a defense that let up the fourth-most points in 2024.

49ers' 2025 NFL Draft Picks

• 11th overall
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• 4th round
• 6th round
• 7th round (via Carolina Panthers)
• 7th round

(NOTE: This list does not include compensatory picks, which are typically announced in early March.)

The 49ers currently own seven picks in the 2025 draft, per Tankathon. They are projected for an additional four compensatory picks, though.

Taking into account their projected compensatory picks, the Niners have the sixth-most draft capital entering the offseason.

Austin Swaim's latest NFL mock draft has the 49ers' selecting interior offensive lineman Armand Membou out of Missouri with their 1st-round pick, though he mentions the possibility of 'Bama guard Tyler Booker being a target at No. 11, too. While San Fran finished 13th in PFF's final offensive line rankings, drafting a replacement for Aaron Banks and allocating cap to the defensive side of the ball makes sense.

49ers' Top Offseason Needs

• Defensive Line
• Wide Receiver
• Special Teams

The biggest thing the 49ers need this offseason is to get healthy, but there are several position groups that could use work, too.

After finishing 29th against the run and 23rd in sacks per game last season, defensive line is a priority for San Francisco this offseason. Aside from Nick Bosa, the Niners don't have much talent in trenches. They finished with PFF's 21st-ranked defensive line, so addressing edge rusher or interior defensive line in the draft or free agency will likely be at the top of their to-do list.

Perhaps one of San Francisco's more underrated needs is wide receiver. Though they need some interior offensive line help, there's an argument to be made that pass-catcher is more pressing in the wake of Deebo Samuel seeking permission to find a trade. A veteran free agent acquisition like Davante Adams or Keenan Allen would make sense here, though they could also elect to use a mid-round pick on a rookie and save cap space for defense.

Lastly, the Niners need to fix their special teams. That's been a weakness throughout Shannahan's tenure, but last season really hit rock bottom. The 49ers finished dead-last in special teams EPA, finishing nearly twice as bad as the next-closest team. Adding former Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer to the staff should help, but they'd be well-served to find a replacement kicker, too. Among 35 kickers with at least 10 attempts, Jake Moody finished 33rd in field goal percentage (70.6%) last season.

Take your sports betting to the next level with the FanDuel Parlay Hub! Explore a curated selection of popular parlays for trending games on FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.