John Franklin-Myers
Getty
The 49ers have been mentioned as "sneaky contenders" to sign John Franklin-Myers and Romeo Doubs in free agency
The San Francisco 49ers battled through a slew of injury issues to make a run all the way to the divisional round of the playoffs last season. Now, assuming the team can get healthy over the offseason, they are in a prime position to build up their roster for a Super Bowl run in 2026.
What the Niners plan on doing this offseason is relatively unknown, as the team’s injury situation muddied the puddle when it comes to their roster. However, according to some recent rumors, it sounds like San Francisco could be a “sneaky contender” to sign a pair of key free agents in defensive end John Franklin-Myers and wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
49ers Linked to John-Franklin Myers and Romeo Doubs
As the past two seasons have shown, depth is quite important for San Francisco, because injuries could pop up at pretty much anytime. So while the front office wants to build up the overall talent level of the roster, it also has to have a contingency plan in the event things go wrong, because as of late, pretty much everything has gone wrong from an injury perspective.
And yet, the 49ers kept on winning last season, so they aren’t as far away from competing for a championship as they may initially seem to be. With that in mind, they could be aggressive in free agency, targeting players who will add depth at key spots and have roles with the team, even when everyone is healthy.
That has led both Franklin-Myers and Doubs to emerge as targets for the team. In 2025, Franklin-Myers turned in another consistently strong season for the Denver Broncos (25 tackles, 7.5 sacks), while Doubs served as Jordan Love’s most consistent target in the Green Bay Packers‘ offense (55 REC, 724 YDS, 6 TD). With the Niners appearing set to contend in 2026, they could wind up signing both of these guys in free agency.
“The 49ers are a sneaky contender for some of the good free agents along the defensive line and at wide receiver,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported. “They want a disruptive interior rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, for example. John Franklin-Myers is the top option there. At wideout, Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs is considered a good fit for San Francisco’s offense and a potential option.”
49ers Hoping to Be Productive in Free Agency
Romeo Doubs Green Bay Packers
GettyRomeo Doubs #87 of the Green Bay Packers
Again, San Fran’s injury struggles helped expose its areas of weakness in 2025. Once Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL in Week 3, the 49ers struggled to find guys who could consistently get to the quarterback for the rest of the campaign. And at wide receiver, the impending departure of Brandon Aiyuk creates a hole that needs to be filled, even though he didn’t play at all last season.
If the Niners can get healthy, they truthfully don’t have a ton of areas that need to be addressed this offseason. Given how things have gone for the team recently, though, you can bet the front office isn’t going to take any chances when it comes to the construction of the team’s roster. As a result, San Francisco could be a surprisingly busy team once free agency opens later this month.