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One year after losing Super Bowl LVIII, the San Francisco 49ers missed the playoffs altogether. Needless to say, the disappointment will require the 49ers to make several adjustments in the 2025 NFL offseason, beginning with the trade market.
One year after dealing with the never-ending Brandon Aiyuk saga, the 49ers are destined for another stressful offseason. General manager Jon Lynch has declared his interest in extending Brock Purdy before the 2025 season. The move will cause a chain of subsequent reactions, as Purdy is on track to progress from his current $985 annual pay to become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league.
San Francisco will not be without cap space in the 2025 NFL offseason, but their negotiation room may be thin. To make room for a Purdy extension, either one of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Trent Williams or Christian McCaffrey's sizeable contracts could be moved.
In addition to their internal issues, the 49ers will have several holes to fill. Starters Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, Jon Feliciano, Isaac Yiadom, Dre Greenlaw, De'Vondre Campbell, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Aaron Banks will all hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Key reserves Elijah Mitchell, Tashaun Gipson Sr. and Eric Saubert will also have their contracts expire in March.
One way or another, the 49ers are bound to make at least one trade in the 2025 NFL offseason. Even if the intention is to clear future cap space, Lynch needs to net significant assets in return if he hopes to return his team to title contention.
CB Trevon Diggs
In one of their first moves of the offseason, the 49ers hired Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator. Saleh rose to prominence in the same role from 2017 to 2020 and expects to bring the same energy back to Kyle Shanahan's staff.
Shanahan and Saleh both love blitz-heavy, man-to-man coverage schemes and have worked them to great success in the past. However, one big issue poses a challenge at cornerback. Each of Shanahan and Saleh's teams have been anchored by stout cornerbacks on the outside. Their success at one-on-one coverage allows for more pressure and blitz packages.
For the past few years, Ward has been Shanahan's guy. Unfortunately, as Ward enters free agency in 2025, he has openly admitted that he will have a hard time re-signing with the team. For as much love as he has for the franchise, Ward has opened up on how difficult living in California has been for his family after they lost their one-year-old daughter in October 2024.
It will be difficult to truly replace Ward, but the 49ers cannot enter 2025 without another top-end cornerback. The Dallas Cowboys will not necessarily make two-time Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs available, but after the emergence of rookie Caelen Carson, he is not as valuable as he was a year ago.
For the first time in years, the Cowboys have a surplus of serviceable cornerbacks. DaRon Bland still leads the room, but Carson and Andrew Booth are not far behind, while veteran Jourdan Lewis enjoyed a career year in 2024 by shifting into the slot. Diggs' $97 million contract is suddenly a lot more of a nuisance than it was before.
G Isaac Seumalo
If the 49ers had one big need in 2025, it was on the interior of their offensive line. San Francisco allowed its most pressure up the middle and struggled to execute inside zone runs for most of the year. Injuries to Feliciano and Banks, both of whom enter free agency in 2025, did not help.
Assuming San Francisco is able to re-sign fifth-year tackle Colton McKivitz, they will be set at tackle for the foreseeable future. The team's biggest offensive issue remains at guard. Seeking answers in free agency is a possibility, but finding one in the trade market might be the 49ers' best bet. Should Lynch pawn off one of his star players over the offseason, acquiring a cheap talent in return would be his priority.
For years, Pittsburgh Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo has been one of the most underrated guards in the NFL. Most of that has been due to health, as he has spent a significant portion of his career on the injury report. However, a lot also has to do with the talent he has been surrounded by.
Before signing with the Steelers in 2024, Seumalo spent the first nine years of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. There, he bounced in and out of the starting lineup, fighting for playing time with Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.
Seumalo finally made his first Pro Bowl in 2024, but it almost did not happen. He was projected to back up Nate Herbig and Mason McCormick at the beginning of the year before an injury took out the former in the preseason. Seumalo now enters a contract year as a 32-year-old first-time Pro Bowler with young talent all around him.
