The 49ers didn't get the worst offseason grade from Pro Football Focus, but it's awfully close.
While it wasn't anywhere close to as bad as the notorious 2015 offseason, the San Francisco 49ers endured a tumultuous beginning to 2025, namely in light of serious player departures as part of a campaign to get both younger and cheaper.
Gone are star contributors like wide receiver Deebo Samuel, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, safety Talanoa Hufanga, cornerback Charvarius Ward and plenty others, who left the team in one form or another.
And the Niners' response via free agency or trades was, well... minimal.
San Francisco onboarded 11 rookies via the 2025 NFL Draft, yes, with a focus on improving the defensive line.
While that might be commendable, the folks over at Pro Football Focus aren't exactly giving general manager John Lynch and Co. rave reviews for overall team improvement this offseason.
In fact, the 49ers were rated near the very bottom of all 32 teams.
Pro Football Focus not impressed by 49ers' offseason efforts
PFF's Trevor Sikkema evaluated each team in the league and dished out all-encompassing grades, taking into account trades, free-agent pickups/departures and moves in the NFL Draft.
Some teams, such as the Chicago Bears, crushed it with A-plus marks.
The Niners, however, were not one of those teams.
Per Sikkema, San Francisco earned a D-grade, and the justification was as follows:
"Overall, the 49ers appeared to get worse this offseason. Getting Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator could be a big positive, as he had success in that position with this very regime. But outside of that, the team lost Dre Greenlaw, Deebo Samuel and Talanoa Hufanga and didn’t meaningfully address their offensive line.
San Francisco's draft was heavily focused on improving in run defense, which was needed after they finished 2025 with a 54.6 team PFF grade in that facet. The 49ers' floor might be higher, but their ceiling seems lower."
Only the New Orleans Saints (D-minus) received a worse grade, while the Houston Texans also received a D-grade, too.
Of course, this review means precisely nothing when it comes to actually playing the games, and the notion of a franchise reset makes sense when one looks at the fact the Niners were the league's top-spending team in 2024 while also boasting a notably older roster, and that squad finished 6-11.
Perhaps PFF will be right and San Francisco will struggle in 2025.
Perhaps PFF ends up being wrong, too.
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