After turning in their worst season since 2020, recording just six wins in a largely joyless campaign, the San Francisco 49ers are heading into 2025 with roughly $50 million in cap space, seven draft picks, and a deep desire to make changes at multiple key positions across the roster.
On offense, the 49ers have to decide how much money they are going to commit to Brock Purdy moving forward, as the soon-to-be fourth-year quarterback will be eligible for a substantial raise on his next contract, considering his Mr. Irrelevant status. Will that number’s per-year average begin with a three? A four? A five?
And what about players like Deebo Samuel, who has been given permission to seek a trade, or the dynamic running back duo of Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell, who will both be free agents at the end of the season?
On defense, the 49ers will have some similar decisions to make, with Javon Hargrave already gone and starters like Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga all expected to at least test the open market for potentially greener pastures elsewhere.
Mind you, the team did secure arguably the top assistant coach hire of the 2025 cycle, with former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh returning to the job he formerly held from 2017-20, but what does that mean? Will he look to bring over a few former Jets? Or will they look for new players who fit his scheme, even if he is widely only expected to be with the team for one single season?
Needless to say, the 49ers have a lot of questions to answer moving forward, but one they won’t have to think about particularly hard is which free agents they should target, as there are plenty of interesting options who fit their scheme and could play a role for the team both now and into the future.
1. Mekhi Becton, Guard/Tackle
When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Becton, it was to serve as a backup swing tackle who could play meaningful snaps if either Jordan Mailata or Lane Johnson suffered any sort of major injury.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Eagles did miss out on snaps from both of their Pro Bowl tackles, but it ended up being Fred Johnson, not Becton, who filled the position, as Becton ended up moving to guard during the preseason and ended up dominating on the right side between Cam Jurgens and Johnson for much of the 2024 NFL season.
Now freed up to cash in on his strong player on the open market, be that at left tackle, right tackle, or even guard, the 49ers have a chance to have their cake and eat it too by signing away the Eagles’ right guard and play him on the left side in place of pending free agent Aaron Banks, who has been solid but never quite lived up to expectations many had when he joined the team as a second-rounder.
Is Becton a major upgrade over Banks? Maybe not a major one, but he is still an upgrade, as the addition of Becton would really check two boxes: guard now and left tackle in the future, with Trent Williams not long for the NFL world as he prepares to enter his 15th professional season. While fans in Philadelphia certainly hope that Becton can become the long-term heir apparent to Johnson at right tackle, if the 49ers come correct with a much richer contract, they could, at worst, secure a top-15 guard who could grow into a bigger role in the pairing works out.
2. Jedrick Wills, Right Tackle
What? Another offensive tackle? Well, there’s a good reason for that: the 49ers offensive line really wasn’t very good in 2025.
While replacing Banks now and Williams in the future is a key need for the team moving forward, a more pressing one is the right tackle spot, where the 49ers had one of the worst starters in the NFL over the past two years in Colton McKivitz.
Taking up the pretty big shoes – literally – of Mike McGlinchey, who left the team for the Denver Broncos in free agency last spring, McKivitz has given up 11 sacks over the past two seasons and will certainly struggle to keep Purdy upright under center. With just one more year left on his current contract, the 49ers will likely need to replace McKivitz no matter what, but in 2025, they have an opportunity to do so with a very interesting right tackle reclamation product in Jedrick Wills, who Sam Momson of Check the Mic believes could be a fascinating reclamation project for a team looking for a right tackle.
“What about a reclamation project at right tackle? Usually, guys come out in the NFL Draft, and they are left or right tackles, and a lot of the times, the NFL is immediately moving them to the other side because this is where the space is, this is where you’re gonna play, and rarely do you see guys who move later in their careers and generally I think it’s a good idea,” Monson noted.
“But Jedrick Wills was a college right tackle who was immediately moved to left tackle by the Browns and has been pretty bad for the majority of his career, to the point where they are moving on from him. He’s gotten worse throughout his career and has yet to play a single snap at right tackle. I don’t know if that’s the reason, I don’t know if that will fix him, but if I’m an NFL team with a right tackle problem, I’d be interested in finding out if Jedrick Wills, who is only like 26, and let’s find out if he plays better at right tackle than left tackle.”
After playing some downright back production at left tackle for the Cleveland Browns, Wills almost certainly won’t demand a massive new contract as he attempts to find a long-term home in the NFL. If Momson is correct and his Alabama tape gets unlocked with a move to the right side, the 49ers could find themselves with solid short-term and long-term answers at both tackle spots.
And if he stinks? Well, maybe the 49ers could kick Becton over to the right side and call it a day, as they still have Spencer Burford, who could theoretically give left guard a shot after some meh play on the right side.
3. Oren Burks, Linebacker
Hello Oren, our old friend, it’s good to employ you again?
When the 49ers allowed Burks to leave for Philadelphia in free agency, it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal. A special teams ace by trade who played pretty well in reserve duty from time to time, Burks looked like a deep reserve behind the likes of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw – when healthy – De’Vondre Campbell, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
Oh, what a difference a year makes.
Fast forward to 2025, and Burks is a Super Bowl Champion, while Greenlaw, Campbell, and potentially Flannigan-Fowles will all be moved to the proverbial alumni section of the 49ers website for one reason or another. While Burks didn’t start for the Eagles when fully healthy, he played well in reserve duty in place of Nakobe Dean and looks in line for a massive pay bump over what he earned from Philly last year.
Fortunately, that number shouldn’t be too high, so if the 49ers want to bring in a proven player who can scale up and down his role depending on the draft, Burks is an ideal buy-low candidate next to Warner.
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