The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[KDawg]

Umm, I think that it's both. I think that part of the reason we were interested from the beginning and he was linked to us is because of him being a 48er linked to AP

I don’t know. I think our interest may also be because there were a handful of positive options and he was one of them.

The 49er thing doesn’t hurt. But there weren’t a lot of options on the table.

 

[Skinfanjon]

I agree except I’ll add that if he doesn’t prove over whatever appropriate period of time that he can effectively draft a good team, then he IS a bad GM. Because then that means he has basically zero avenues to add real talent available to him and you can’t win that way. In that case he’s bad at every aspect of his job because his technically viable FA strategy only works if he can draft.

Hopefully that’s not the case, obviously. The sample size gets bigger every year and eventually it’ll be big enough to make a determination.

Especially after falling ass backwards into the NFC championship game in year 1.

The 49er pipeline is also getting annoying. There are 30 other teams. First it was Tampa with Bruce, then Carolina with Ron, and now SF. At least it’s a better franchise but come on man. I know we’re in on other guys but it’s a trend.

My patience is essentially gone. Chig + Jennings or I’ll just assume the season is doomed. Doubs signed for 4 for 80 but it’s really 4 for 68. We couldn’t just say fuck that, here’s 4 for 100? Enough is enough. I can’t believe they’re being this short-sighted. Again.

 

[Bulldog]

Where is the Peters front office that finds a Jennings in Round 7 of the draft?

I want that guy.

 

[KDawg]

Especially after falling ass backwards into the NFC championship game in year 1.

The 49er pipeline is also getting annoying. There are 30 other teams. First it was Tampa with Bruce, then Carolina with Ron, and now SF. At least it’s a better franchise but come on man.

My patience is essentially gone. Chig + Jennings or I’ll just assume the season is doomed. Doubs signed for 4 for 80 but it’s really 4 for 68. We couldn’t just say fuck that, here’s 4 for 100? Enough is enough. I can’t believe they’re being this short-sighted. Again.

I can’t believe you and I are role reversing here, but I think they need some more time. There are still a lot of options.

I still think we need to let it play out.

And trust me when I say my fears playing out in real time over assistant coaches and FA is NOT something I wanted to be right about.

So… I’m still hoping I got all of this wrong.

 

[BayouBrave86]

Especially after falling ass backwards into the NFC championship game in year 1.

The 49er pipeline is also getting annoying. There are 30 other teams. First it was Tampa with Bruce, then Carolina with Ron, and now SF. At least it’s a better franchise but come on man.

My patience is essentially gone. Chig + Jennings or I’ll just assume the season is doomed. Doubs signed for 4 for 80 but it’s really 4 for 68. We couldn’t just say fuck that, here’s 4 for 100? Enough is enough. I can’t believe they’re being this short-sighted. Again.

Most NFL coaches and front office personnel are nepo hires / part of a boys club and extremely lazy and go with only what they know. The irony is that we had the next great coaching tree/innovators in our backyard for a while. 😞 The next level thinkers and analysts are few and are between. I think if you took a group of us and handed us the same roster with the same spend allowance and draft capital, we wouldn’t do much worse..that’s for sure. Mike Tannenbaum for example is a grade A buffoon and I know I’d run circles around him if we were GM’ing in the same league.

 

[Bulldog]

Joe Gibbs never really did that. He imported one or two guys from SD that first year as complementary players but Washington never focused on bringing in players from a particular program over time under JG and Beathard.

 

[Skinfanjon]

Jennings has been one of our top options since this thing all began, and it’s not because he’s an ex-49er

Idk man. He has said he likes guys they know, players they are comfortable with. Maybe they don’t get Jennings but pretty sure they will Aiyuk. Maybe both. Seems like a security blanket to him.

 

[Dlts20]

I don’t know. I think our interest may also be because there were a handful of positive options and he was one of them.

The 49er thing doesn’t hurt. But there weren’t a lot of options on the table.

Yea but I'm pretty sure that we will make a strong play for Ayuik also. It's not a coincidence

 

[KDawg]

Most NFL coaches and front office personnel are nepo hires / part of a boys club. The next level thinkers and analysts are few and are between. I think if you took a group of us and handed us the same roster with the same spend allowance and draft capital, we wouldn’t do much worse..that’s for sure. Mike Tannenbaum for example is a grade A buffoon and I know I’d run circles around him if we were GM’ing in the same league.

I think in business, any business, when you have the option of bringing in someone you know it’s always easier to do trust wise.

Sometimes the people you don’t know aren’t even outwardly interested. Sometimes the people that contact you and know you are the ones who are much easier to get.

I don’t find it that odd, personally. But it would be nice to branch the network out to be further reaching.

 

[BayouBrave86]

and look at Spurrier with his Florida pipeline. 😂 the worst of all

 

[KDawg]

Yea but I'm pretty sure that we will make a strong play for Ayuik also. It's not a coincidence

And Aiyuk has ties to Jayden as well.

 

[HailYeah]

It’s pretty common in the NFL. Just this year you see daboll getting Robinson, harbaugh bringing in some of his people from the ravens.

 

[BayouBrave86]

I think in business, any business, when you have the option of bringing in someone you know it’s always easier to do trust wise.

Sometimes the people you don’t know aren’t even outwardly interested. Sometimes the people that contact you and know you are the ones who are much easier to get.

I don’t find it that odd, personally. But it would be nice to branch the network out to be further reaching.

Yes and no to a degree. Referrals and networking is definitely well represented in all walks of life. It just seems that it’s even more apparent/exploited and taken advantage of in pro sports.

 

[Bulldog]

The 49ers front office found guys like Jennings in Round 7 of the draft and now teams are drooling over them

That 49ers front office was on a nice clip of finding Fred Warner, Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and others in the middle rounds.

I was expecting that kind of accent on the draft here.

Wow, have things turned out differently.

 

[Kalu44]

With all this WR talk, we still need a C and LB. Lots of work left to do.

 

[Skinfanjon]

I can’t believe you and I are role reversing here, but I think they need some more time. There are still a lot of options.

I still think we need to let it play out.

And trust me when I say my fears playing out in real time over assistant coaches and FA is NOT something I wanted to be right about.

So… I’m still hoping I got all of this wrong.

I said I’d be a harsh critic. I’ll wait to see the full picture but there just aren’t many weapons that move the needle left. We need all of them. Jennings, Chig, even Rachaad who was always a last resort for me.

Refusing to go higher for Likely (who reportedly wanted to come here) and whiffing on Doubs really struck a nerve. Jayden needs weapons and we’re setting him up to fail again. It’s inexcusable.

 

[BayouBrave86]

I’d hire you all for my front office 🍻 even the ones I disagree with because it’s always great to get different perspectives and learn.


And can we sign someone already? My phone is about to die from posting so much 😂

 

[Conn]

Umm, I think that it's both. I think that part of the reason we were interested from the beginning and he was linked to us is because of him being a 48er linked to AP

There were 4-5 good starting WR’s in FA that may have fit us. For some Jennings was #2, for some #4. He was always a top option for us and yet we swung and missed on Pierce and Doubs first. It’s clearly not because he’s a 49er. Sometimes facts are just facts and don’t have any deeper meaning. I’m sure he does know AP and that’s cool, but he wasn’t unjustly our top target over better options just because of that connection. Which is what people imply when they say we’re chasing too many 49ers. We tried other options first.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Mike Tannenbaum for example is a grade A buffoon and I know I’d run circles around him if we were GM’ing in the same league.

Sounds like you missed your calling.

There's still time.

The Jets will probably be looking for a new GM in the near future.

 

[Canuck]

The 49ers front office found guys like Jennings in Round 7 of the draft and now teams are drooling over them

That 49ers front office was on a nice clip of finding Fred Warner, Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and others in the middle rounds.

I was expecting that kind of accent on the draft here.

Wow, have things turned out differently.

need picks