At the NFL Scouting Combine last week, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch made it clear that the team would love to retain linebacker Dre Greenlaw in 2025. However, that would require signing him to a new deal. Greenlaw is set to become a free agent next week, and with potential interest from other teams, his market value could rise despite his recent injury history.
"We're very interested in having Dre back, and [this is] one of those deals this time of year," Lynch said. "And we've had more time to do planning. But no matter how much planning you do, it always seems to—Dre should go out and see what's out there, and then we know where we have to be."
Lynch's comments suggest the 49ers are prepared to let Greenlaw test free agency to gauge his value before making a final decision.
Lynch added, "You know how highly we think of Dre, and we'd love to have him back."
Greenlaw isn't the only key 49ers defender set to hit the open market. All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga is also a free agent, and ESPN's Adam Schefter believes both will be playing elsewhere in 2025. On his podcast, Schefter outlined why the 49ers will likely lose significant talent this offseason (h/t Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area).
"First and foremost, I think the 49ers have [11] draft picks, and they're going to have to hit on some of these picks, and have these guys come in on rookie contracts for the financial relief, not to mention the talent boost that they provide," Schefter said. "... They're going to lose talent in free agency. Talanoa Hufanga is going to be gone. Dre Greenlaw, I think, is going to be gone.
"They're going to lose a lot of talent in free agency. They're going to have to make cuts here to get under the salary cap in the coming week."
Schefter also noted that contract negotiations with quarterback Brock Purdy could take "a while," as it's not a simple situation, making the offseason even more challenging.
"So this team, this roster, is going to take some hits, and everybody's going to feel it," Schefter added. "And they've already traded [WR] Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for a fifth-round pick."
Schefter concluded, "I think this is the start of what's going to be a busy offseason in San Francisco with San Francisco shedding salary and trying to reign in some of the costs that they've built up from other years. This was the first move; it won't be the last move."
You can listen to the entire podcast episode below.
