3 San Francisco 49ers who won’t be back after Trent Williams contract

From the moment that the San Francisco 49ers lost in this past year’s Super Bowl, Brandon Aiyuk was in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. He wanted a new contract, and the Niners seemed very reluctant to give him the massive payday he coveted.

Things got so ugly to the point where the Niners were comfortable allowing Aiyuk to seek trades, and there were times where it felt like he was destined to land elsewhere. Ultimately, the Niners and Aiyuk came to a deal, and the finalizing of that contract shined light on another disgruntled player, Trent Williams.

Williams hadn’t been quite as vocal about wanting a new deal publicly as Aiyuk was, but he was holding out. He was away from the team for all of training camp, racking up tons of fines, but it all appears to have been worthwhile, as a deal is imminent. Williams and the Niners are expected to restructure his contract, ending the holdout and giving the 36-year-old at least a chance to play in San Francisco’s Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets.

Anytime you can get an 11-time Pro Bowler and arguably the best offensive tackle to agree to a deal with your team, it’s a good thing. The downside to having Williams (and Aiyuk) locked in, though, is that others, in a league with a salary cap, will be cap casualties. These three Niners players stick out in particular as players who won’t be back in 2025.

3) Elijah Mitchell, RB

Elijah Mitchell looked like he’d be a potential star in the making after racking up 963 rushing yards in his rookie season averaging 4.7 yards per carry, but things haven’t gone his way since. 

He was limited to just five games in 2022, the year in which the Niners traded for Christian McCaffrey midseason. He played in 11 games this past season in a reserve role but averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and ran for 281 total yards. Now this upcoming season, Mitchell won’t play a role at all, as he was placed on IR and ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury.

25-year-old Jordan Mason is expected to pick up Mitchell’s slack as McCaffrey’s backup, and the Niners just used a fourth-round pick on Isaac Guerendo in this past year’s draft. While it’s unclear how well Mason will do in a larger role, having Guerendo as another option makes it extremely likely that Mitchell’s Niners tenure is nearing its end. 

Mitchell is slated to hit free agency at the end of the year and given how rocky things will have gone for him outside of his first season, chances are, both sides will want a fresh start. 

2) Dre Greenlaw, LB

The 49ers didn’t exactly lose last year’s Super Bowl when Dre Greenlaw went down with what turned out to be a torn Achilles, but losing one of their most impactful defensive players and leaders certainly didn’t help their cause.

Greenlaw has spent the last five years in San Francisco being a valuable voice on and off the field while also being an incredibly impactful defensive player. Unfortunately, it’s looking more like year six will be his last with the Niners.

First, we have no idea if Greenlaw can come back at all this season. Even if he does make a return, how good will he be? These questions along with the fact that he’s set to hit free agency at the end of the year make it relatively easy to let him go.

Losing a talent like Greenlaw will not be easy to replace, especially with their cap being as limited as it will be, but they signed De’Vondre Campbell to join the fold on a cheap deal this past offseason, and there’s reason to believe that the Niners can find value next offseason too.

1) Deebo Samuel, WR

The writing felt on the wall when Aiyuk signed his extension, and Williams’ contract might make it even more likely that Deebo Samuel’s days as a 49er are numbered.

Aiyuk is locked in long-term, and the Niners have a strong supporting cast around him. Recent first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings are two solid receiver options for the Niners to throw to. Let’s not forget George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey being two of the best players at their respective positions either.

Assuming Brock Purdy continues to develop, he shouldn’t need Samuel in addition to everything else he has at his disposal to run one of the best offenses in the NFL.

The 28-year-old is coming off of a bounceback season in which he racked up 892 yards in the air and another 225 on the ground in 15 regular season games. Samuel also totaled 12 touchdowns. His yards from scrimmage numbers and total touchdowns were his best season outside of his breakout 2021 campaign.

Losing him would be a big blow, there’s no disputing that, but the Niners have little reason to keep him around past 2024 at this point.