If you are feeling angry about the moves that the Seattle Seahawks are or aren’t making this preseason, you can console yourself with this. At least you’re not a fan of the San Francisco 49ers.
John Lynch’s squad, who has been slugging it out with the Los Angeles Rams for supremacy in the NFC West for the past five years, seems to have hit the reset button this offseason. Their bevy of high-priced talent was bound to catch up with them at some point. It has become clear that “some point” is now.
By accumulating draft picks and making smart selections, Lynch has been able to reload rather than rebuild up until this point, and it is far too early to label this offseason a catastrophe. But there’s no question that things in the Bay are looking shaky right now.
The Seahawks offseason losses pale in comparison the 49ers
The offseason began with the trade of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. This week, we learned that the versatile heart and soul of the offense, Kyle Juszczyk, has been released. There is always the possibility that, after testing the market, Juice could re-up, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Even if he does, Kyle Shanahan is not getting back at least eight players from last year’s squad, many of whom were seen as core players just a year ago.
On offense, starting guard Aaron Banks is off to Green Bay, while backup swing tackle Jaylon Moore will be a Chief in 2025. That is in addition to the loss of Samuel and Juszczyk.
On defense, the hit is even bigger. Two former All-Pro members of the secondary – cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga- are gone. Dynamic linebacker Dre Greenlaw is joining Hufanga in Denver, while Leonard Floyd, second on the team in 2024 in both sacks and tackles-for-loss, is off to Atlanta.
The once and future defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can watch film from last season to see how San Fran struggled without Greenlaw and Hufanga. The Seahawks beat the 49ers last year in part because Greenlaw’s replacement, the now-departed De’Vondre Campbell, was outrun to the end zone by Geno Smith in the waning moments of their game.
Lynch has not exactly been sitting still early in free agency, but his salary cap woes severely limit his options. He re-signed one back-up defensive lineman, Kevin Givens. And he has agreed to terms with seven new players. The most notable is wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who was moderately productive for KC last year. He isn’t exactly a Deebo Samuel substitute, but he figures to be the only new player so far who will make much impact.
Tight end Luke Farrell and linebacker Luke Gifford are career backups. Jason Pinnock entered the league as a special teamer who was forced to play a lot of safety in New York due to the Giants’ train wreck of a roster. He and Richie Grant, a second-round draft pick back in 2021 who has underperformed for Atlanta, don’t figure to do much to stem the loss of Hufanga.
Then there is Tre Brown, a fourth-round pick in 2021 who, like Grant, never made much of an impact for...I don’t really need to tell you, do I?
So, if the 49ers are seeing Brown as a potential replacement for Charvarius Ward, things aren’t looking very bright in San Francisco.
Of course, that is not necessarily what will happen when the teams take the field this September. Lynch has been one of the best in the league at gaming the compensatory draft pick system, and he has four more to work with this year. The 49ers will have a total of 11 picks, with four in the first three rounds and seven in the top 150.
And San Fran still has their share of elite players. But without a very strong draft, the 49ers are looking at a roster with a lot of aging stars and a lot of potential holes. So far, 2025 free agency has not been especially kind. I doubt many Seahawks fans are feeling sympathy.
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