The San Francisco 49ers have taken an aggressive approach in past offseasons, determined to push their Super Bowl window as far as possible. After coming painfully close to securing a championship last year, that urgency remained heading into the 2024 season. However, after a 6-11 finish, and with quarterback Brock Purdy on track to become one of the NFL's highest-paid players, the team had to finally adjust its spending strategy.
That shift meant saying goodbye to several key contributors while watching other teams make splashier moves in free agency. Despite a quieter approach, general manager John Lynch remains confident that the 49ers can still compete at a high level in 2025.
While some view the team's offseason losses as a step backward, Lynch sees it differently. Speaking at the NFL's annual meetings in Florida, he expressed his belief that the 49ers still have a strong foundation capable of sustaining success, and that their standard remains as high as ever.
"The one thing I think people should know, since we've been here, we've been a top-five spending team," Lynch said, via Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated. "Our ownership has been tremendous. They've given us every resource that we need. And that's not stopping. We're going to continue to be aggressive. At the end of this, I would surmise that we're going to be a top-five spending team again."
Much of that spending will come when the team finalizes a deal with Purdy, offsetting the relatively quiet offseason. Lynch acknowledges the frustration from fans and even admits he prefers a more aggressive approach.
"I know it's hard to watch. Believe me, it was hard to execute," Lynch said. "I like being aggressive."
Still, while the 49ers avoided splashy moves, Lynch is optimistic about the players they did add. They are counting on their offseason acquisitions—such as wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, cornerback Tre Brown, and tight end Luke Farrell—to step up in 2025.
"I would say that, subtly, we like the players we brought in," Lynch noted. "We think they'll add to our team. And we're ready to roll."
However, the losses have been significant. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Charvarius Ward, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel will all be playing elsewhere next season. The defensive line, in particular, will undergo a major overhaul following the releases of Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, and Maliek Collins.
"I look at our roster, and while we've seen a lot of great players leave, and that's hard to watch, we still have a lot of Hall of Fame-worthy players," Lynch said. "There are some guys who will be staring that in the face when they're done. There's a lot of them on this roster. There's a tremendous core that we can go be competitive with, and add some young players, and I think it will be exciting and necessary."
Many of those young players will come via the 2025 NFL Draft, where the 49ers hold 11 selections. The team hopes to replicate last year's draft success, which brought in key contributors such as wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, cornerback Renardo Green, guard Dominick Puni, safety Malik Mustapha, and running back Isaac Guerendo.
Regarding this offseason, Lynch added, "It's not done yet. We don't really tee it off until August."
As the 49ers continue shaping their roster through the draft, Lynch remains focused on doing enough to keep the team in contention—not just for 2025, but for years to come.