John Lynch Brandon Aiyuk San Francisco 49ers
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General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers
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he San Francisco 49ers are not backing down. Finishing 12-5 last season and returning to the playoffs after a one season absence, the 49ers bounced back nicely from an injury plagued ’24 campaign but fell well short of their Super Bowl aspirations, losing in the NFC Divisional playoffs. The 49ers came into this offseason ready to build a team capable of returning to Super Bowl contention.
And so far, the 49ers have wasted no time in adding talent at several key spots, bringing in players such wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa while welcoming back linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers have more to do, but those additions are a promising sign for a team fighting for their sixth Super Bowl title. And in a very competitive NFC West, it especially important to be ahead of the curve, and for a 49ers’ franchise that is a year removed from a challenging offseason, things have looked very good so far.
ESPN Reacts to 49ers’ Offseason
The 49ers finished 6-11 in 2024 and saw several players depart, forcing the team to rely on rookies and unproven veterans in 2025. And while the 12-5 season and playoff appearance proved that it can work, the 49ers want more and made sure to be aggressive this offseason. After all the moves the 49ers made, ESPN provided their take on the team’s offseason– saying that they are further along in building their roster at this point in the offseason this year, compared to where they were at this point last year.
“[Mike] Evans suggesting that he’s the to the missing piece to the 49ers’ Super Bowl championship efforts spoke to a larger point: They are further along after last offseason’s roster reset than many believed they would be. With the Rams and Seahawks continuing to push, the Niners aren’t backing down in the super competitive NFC West,” Nick Wagoner, of ESPN, wrote.
The 49ers added players on the older side, with Evans entering his age-33 season and Christian Kirk turning 30, but they are established stars and with the 49ers’ Super Bowl window closing, a win-now mentality is the approach this year.
“They aggressively added older, proven veterans, and though there’s risk with each of them because of age or injury status, they all fill a significant roster need,” Wagoner added. “The 49ers’ losses haven’t been nearly as impactful, though there’s still plenty of work to do, particularly on the defensive and offensive lines, as well as at safety and receiver.”
The 49ers’ Task for the Rest of the Offseason
The main wave of free agency is over and while teams can still add players at any time, the new focus is on the NFL Draft, where the 49ers will need to address more needs. Building a winning roster is contingent on drafting the right players, so that a solid foundation for the future is set and even though the 49ers added players, they lost players too– including edge rusher Bryce Huff, who retired this offseason. Edge rusher was already a pressing need for the 49ers, but with Huff gone and Mykel Williams coming off of a torn ACL, adding to that group is essential.
“Huff’s departure wasn’t a huge surprise. But in tandem with Nick Bosa and Williams coming back from torn ACLs, it puts the onus on San Francisco to add more talent and depth at a position that didn’t have enough of either in 2025,” Nick Wagoner of ESPN said.
The 49ers will assess all options ahead of the draft, but if they can add an edge rusher, the rest of the league will be put on watch.