The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2025 NFL free agency period in a precarious position. They have some cap space to work with and a bevy of holes to fill on their roster. The 49ers should be in the mix for a handful of big names on the free agent market, but they should be cautious in their approach with all of them.
Players like Joey Bosa and Davante Adams are set to be unrestricted free agents in this year’s class. Those two specifically play positions of need for the 49ers where adding a proven veteran would make a ton of sense.
Bosa and Adams should be players the 49ers are tracking, but they have to be judicious in how they’re dolling out contracts for them (or other higher profile free agents). It’s all about cost for San Francisco even as they step into the free agent period with just under $30 million in cap space.
They should be players for the likes of Bosa and Adams, but at the right price. If their respective markets inflate, the 49ers have to be ready to pivot to a less expensive option they believe can still help their team. Adding a big name for the sake of adding a big name isn’t helpful.
For San Francisco their financial future against the cap is a significant question mark, and with an already aging roster, free agents in their 30s aren’t going to necessarily solve long-term issues. They may help win in 2025, but the 49ers are trying to maneuver in a way that gives them some financial flexibility in 2026 and beyond. A preferable route this offseason would be one where they restock the roster with draft picks that make the club both younger and less expensive over the next three or four seasons.
If Bosa, Adams or another high-profile free agent are going to come cheap − the 49ers should be doing whatever they can to be competitive in that market. If their markets dictate they get more than San Francisco can or wants to spend, the club is better off adding a cheaper free agent and addressing the position again in the draft where they can plug the roster hole in 2025 while simultaneously setting themselves up to extend their Super Bowl window into the ensuing years.
