Monday brought a flurry of free agency signings as teams desperately attempted to fill roster deficiencies. In the past few days, three teams in the NFC West have made significant moves to reshape their rosters: the Seattle Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold, the Arizona Cardinals signed defensive end Josh Sweat and the Los Angeles Rams signed wide receiver Davante Adams.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have largely taken a backseat to the action. It should come as no surprise, as the Niners made it clear that they would take a fiscally conservative approach this offseason.
Despite having a gold rush prospector as their mascot, it’s taken the Niners some time to realize that all that glitters is not gold. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have taken an aggressive roster-building approach over the past few years, but many of their recent draft trades and contract extensions have proven to be fool’s gold. San Francisco’s missteps ultimately led to a top-heavy roster that finally tipped over during the 2024 season. As they atone for their mistakes this offseason, they’ll be forced to limit spending while learning how to differentiate gold from other metals.
49ers’ signing signals a departure from top-heavy roster building philosophy
That doesn’t mean Lynch and Co. are completely opposed to adding talent, however. The 49ers signed tight end Luke Farrell to a three-year, $20.2 million contract with $11 million in guaranteed money, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday.
Farrell’s signing signals the team’s shift away from building a top-heavy roster, as the Ohio State product figures to slot in behind tight end George Kittle on the depth chart. Along with providing depth, Farrell will have the opportunity to learn behind the two-time All-Pro tight end.
Kittle has been one of the league’s best tight ends throughout his eight-year career, but Father Time is looming. The 31-year-old has earned Pro Bowl nods in four consecutive seasons, but he’s also missed games with injuries in all but one of his eight seasons.
Farrell was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he was used primarily as a blocking tight end over the first four years of his NFL career.
Farrell has a history of durability, but that could be attributed to his limited usage. The 27-year-old has played 66 out of a possible 68 games, but he’s never seen his snap count rise above 38 percent in any of his four seasons. He’s also only been targeted 47 times (11.75 targets per year), which he turned into 36 receptions for 318 yards. He has yet to score his first career touchdown.
In comparison, Kittle has played roughly 90 percent of the Niners’ offensive snaps in each of the past four seasons, and he’s averaged 91 targets per season over that span. Farrell likely wouldn’t be able to maintain his durability with that workload. Luckily, he doesn’t have to. For now, his primarily role will be to function as a secondary option and serve as an additional offensive lineman in heavy personnel sets.