San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is focused on building off last season's success, which came despite the team navigating significant injuries. A key part of that effort will involve evaluating free agency—both identifying outside additions and determining which of the team's own free agents the 49ers hope to retain.
Lynch spoke with local media following his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and later sat down with Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area for a one-on-one interview. During those discussions, the 49ers general manager highlighted two pending free agents he hopes will remain in San Francisco.
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One priority is kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who joined the 49ers after Week 1 of the 2025 season and helped stabilize a special teams unit that had struggled in recent years.
"Eddy was obviously fantastic," Lynch told reporters. "We've got a couple of weeks before free agency to continue to work towards something. The thing is, I don't think the guy could have come in and done any better."
Piñeiro converted 28 of his 29 field goal attempts during the regular season, with his lone miss coming on a 64-yard attempt that struck the crossbar in Week 16. He wasn't as consistent on his extra point attempts, but still connected on 34 of 38 attempts. His reliability on field goals provided a significant boost to the 49ers' special teams unit.
"He was fantastic for us," Lynch added. "He picked our team up in a big way, so obviously, there's great interest to try to figure that out."
Punter Thomas Morstead is also set to become a free agent. The 49ers have already taken a step toward maintaining continuity on special teams by re-signing long snapper Jon Weeks. Retaining Piñeiro and Morstead would further solidify a unit that showed welcomed improvement in 2025.
John Lynch hopes Eric Kendricks remains with the 49ers
Another player Lynch hopes to keep is veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, whom the 49ers signed in November to address injuries at the position. Including the playoffs, Kendricks appeared in five games with three starts, recording 25 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one pass defensed.
"Eric, I can't say enough," Lynch told Chan. "He came in, and it probably took more time than he wanted, but it happened in short order, and he played, and played really well. He helped us win a tough playoff game in Philly, played really well for a couple of weeks in a row.
"It didn't surprise us because Eric's been a good football player. You know a lot about people from playing against them, and Eric was always a nemesis with us. Just a really good football player—has been for a long time."
When asked whether he could envision Kendricks sharing the field with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, Lynch smiled and replied, "Sure. I'd love to see it."
With free agency approaching, the 49ers appear motivated to retain contributors who helped stabilize key areas of the roster during a very challenging season.
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