‘Eddie DeBartolo: A Football Life’ airs Wednesday, October 24

Mike McGlinchey received a life-changing payday, signing a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Denver Broncos. The offensive tackle has known for a while that he would not return to the San Francisco 49ers, the only NFL team he has played for and the one that made him the No. 9 overall pick in 2018. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear to McGlinchey that he was likely playing his final months for the team. There was too much money invested in other spots, and the 49ers knew they couldn't compete with other interested teams. Behind the scenes, Lynch and Shanahan kept McGlinchey in the loop of what the team was thinking, and everything pointed to the tackle playing elsewhere in 2023 … maybe even

Javon Hargrave was nervous heading into free agency. He knew he would get paid but was concerned that he might have to sacrifice success in the process. The defensive tackle had just been to a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. Often, the teams with the most money to spend are the ones that are rebuilding. Things appear to have worked out beautifully for Hargrave. "Sometimes when you're trying to go get the money, you have to go to a team that's in a rebuild mode," Hargrave said. "But if you've got a chance to go to a team that was just in the NFC Championship, that's kind of an easy choice for me. So I was real happy about it. "It really made me happy because I was real nervous about free agency, on where I was going to have to go. But I feel

Sam Darnold is the newest San Francisco 49ers quarterback. He joins a quarterback room that includes third-year passer Trey Lance and second-year player Brock Purdy. The Niners are Darnold's third NFL team since the New York Jets made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2018. He spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in 18 games while starting 17. Darnold felt that signing with the 49ers was an easy decision. He's excited about the opportunity to work with head coach and play-caller Kyle Shanahan and the other 49ers coaches. The quarterback steps into a great situation, too. San Francisco undoubtedly has the most talented roster he has ever been a part of. "Just excited to get started in this organization and get to work," Darnold

The San Francisco 49ers have to be an ideal landing spot for any player. The team has been to the NFC Championship three times and made a Super Bowl appearance in the last four seasons. For one free-agent defensive lineman, the Niners checked a lot of boxes. "I think for me, I really just fell in love with the way that they play defense here," Clelin Ferrell said on Thursday, speaking with 49ers reporters for the first time. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek was a big draw too. Knowing the coach's background and success in bringing out the best in his players contributed to the decision to sign with the 49ers. Ferrell added, "So it was just kind of checking that box, for sure." The 49ers weren't the only team expressing strong interest