For the past several years, the San Francisco 49ers have fielded one of the most star-studded teams in the league. Seven of their players earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023, marking their third consecutive season with multiple first-team selections.
The Niners’ juggernaut roster led them to four NFC Championship Game appearances and two Super Bowl appearances over a five-year span. Despite their success, San Francisco fell short of capturing the franchise’s elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy, and the bill for all of their luxury signings has come due.
San Francisco’s offseason has been more about shedding excess weight than it has been about improving the roster. In the early stages of free agency, the 49ers lost linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, cornerback Charvarius Ward, left tackle Jaylon Moore and guard Aaron Banks. San Francisco also traded away star wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Jordan Mason. The budget cuts also significantly affected the defensive line, which lost starters Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd.
But despite all that, the team's brass doesn't seem too concerned.
John Lynch believes “big things” lie ahead for 49ers despite massive turnover
“We’ve got this thing called the draft, and we’ve got a lot of picks,” Lynch said during Stanford’s pro day, per The Athletic. “And I think the thing the fans should know is we have a plan. And we’re gonna execute that plan. And we’re excited about the opportunity.”
San Francisco has 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including No. 11 overall. They were rewarded four compensatory picks and acquired a fifth-round pick in exchange for Samuel, but forfeited a fifth-round pick for an administrative payroll accounting error in 2022.
“The bottom line is you’re always looking at years out [from now],” Lynch said. “And we forecast it, and we’ve got some big things coming our way. And you have to clear the requisite room to be able to do that. And you don’t want to get to a point where you have to do things to keep your roster afloat. You want to have that flexibility.”
Big things may be coming, but that doesn’t mean those big things are necessarily positive. San Francisco’s budget cuts may have a lot to due with the looming contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, who is poised to earn a record-setting contract extension this offseason.
The Niners have enjoyed the luxury of having the cheapest starting quarterback in the league for several years, but that’s about to change. Purdy is set to earn $5.2 million in 2025, but the 25-year-old is reportedly ready to “fight for every penny” after years of being severely underpaid.
As the No. 262 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has been the league’s most poorly compensated player. Due to the rookie wage scale, 2022’s “Mr. Irrelevant” has accumulated just $2.9 million in total earnings across his three NFL seasons. For context, six rookie quarterbacks have already earned more money than Purdy has in his history career, per Spotrac.
Purdy has led San Francisco to a 23-13 record (.638) in the regular season and boasts a 4-2 postseason record (.667). He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2023 after throwing for 4,280 passing yards with 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but his numbers took a dip as the Niners struggled with injuries throughout the 2024 season.
Despite Purdy’s success, there are concerns about whether or not he’ll be able to maintain his production with less talent around him. If the team pays him as a top-flight quarterback, he will be expected to account for any production lost by San Francisco’s significant turnover.