The 2025 Free Agency Thread

[Skinfanjon]

I can’t speak for everyone here, but I thought we’d sign more top guys in FA, and obviously I didn’t see us sending pics for Tunsil, so I thought we’d have more of our capital.

In real time, I haven’t loved a lot of their moves. I didn’t love Deebo for a 5th. I wanted another speed guy to stretch the field.

I thought we’d land a younger, better CB, for instance. Maybe Stanley. Definitely an impact pass rusher.

And a lot of these DL guys, I didn’t even know who they were. That’s obviously not a rave review.

On the flip side, I LOVE the Tunsil signing. I think he should have very close to the impact Trent had in San Francisco. That move alone might be the best move any team has made this off season.

Really, I’m trying not to judge right now. If we get to training camp, and we haven’t found an impact edge and some exciting depth pieces, either in the draft, FA, or via trade, I’m going to be skeptical

That being said, I didn’t think we were an angry championship game caliber team last year. And while Jayden was great, our roster really did click.

Anyway, I think most of us don’t feel that differently from you fundamentally. I think a lot of us just view the offseason report card as incomplete, and we are withholding judgment until we see the final roster heading into training camp.

I’m sorry man, how can you not love Deebo for a 5th? We’re already a Swiss Army knife offense and he himself is a top tier Swiss Army knife. He’s going to put an incredible amount of strain on defenses. His impact won’t be judged solely on his numbers because a lot of his value will be just stressing out defenses and being a problem to account for. He makes it infinitely harder to get off the field on 3rd and 4th downs on an offense that was already impossible to defend in those situations.

I mean all this in a friendly way but this take and Hail Raiser general thoughts, bro, it’s a big yikes from me fellas. They are threading a needle of building and trying to win a damn Super Bowl right now. I got zero, and I mean zero point zero, concerns about this approach and really can’t understand how a fan of this team and all we’ve been through could feel differently. I legit don’t get it.

They’re playing the hand they were dealt beautifully. We won 12 games +2. You gotta hit the gas at least a little bit which is exactly what they’ve done this offseason. The only thing they are on any kinda limb about is Kinlaw’s money. I’m not immune from criticizing and no, I don’t get that one. We’ll just have to see about it I guess. But man, the rest of it is A+ stuff from me.

 

[Anselmheifer]

Re Deebo, he was coming off a down year, complaining a lot, isn’t a guy to run classical routes and separate, has had some injuries, his running stats have gotten way worse, and I thought he might be released.

But, he could come in motivated, for a Kingsbury offense, put up 800 yards and a bunch of explosives, and be well worth a 5th.

I didn’t HATE the move. I just didn’t LOVE the move.

 

[MartinC]

Re Deebo, he was coming off a down year, complaining a lot, isn’t a guy to run classical routes and separate, has had some injuries, his running stats have gotten way worse, and I thought he might be released.

But, he could come in motivated, for a Kingsbury offense, put up 800 yards and a bunch of explosives, and be well worth a 5th.

I didn’t HATE the move. I just didn’t LOVE the move.

He wasnt chopped liver last season. He had 51 catches for 670 at 13 yards a catch and 3TD. I dont care too much about his rushing stats, I would only hand it off to him here on jet sweeps and some gadget stuff maybe. Try to reduce the wear.

I like him as the #2 in base and #3/slot/move guy in 11 personnel. Love to see us add someone in the draft with legit speed who can play outside in 11 and take advantage of the single coverage that will come with Terry and Debo also on the field. But I think edge and CB needs will boost the rankings of those positions on our draft board.

If he puts up 50 catches for around 700 yards and 3 or 4 TDs - that's a great return on a 5th round pick. And he opens up other things around him. He's someone the D has to account for. If he can get back to his 2023 numbers of 60 for 892 at 15 per catch we struck gold.

 

[Skinfanjon]

Re Deebo, he was coming off a down year, complaining a lot, isn’t a guy to run classical routes and separate, has had some injuries, his running stats have gotten way worse, and I thought he might be released.

But, he could come in motivated, for a Kingsbury offense, put up 800 yards and a bunch of explosives, and be well worth a 5th.

I didn’t HATE the move. I just didn’t LOVE the move.

Right but it’s pick 157. The downsides you highlighted are baked into the cost. I feel like a reasonable position is rejecting the money and wishing it was spent elsewhere, but not the pick.

He just turned 29. Data mostly indicates there’s a drop off as WR at age 28, then another big one at 32. Obviously these vary on a 1/1 sample size, but he’s well short of the washed cliff.

What would you have preferred to do with that cap space?

 

[HailYeah]

I see some of these moves as future comp picks while we continue to build key pieces. If deebo balls out we can let him go sign one last big deal and get a nice pick in return that’s value is higher than a 5th. Also, I’m not too worried about one year deals on older guys that will get another contract elsewhere. I fully expect us to trade back with one of our first two picks, possibly even both which will net us some youth to infuse into the team.

 

[Skinfanjon]

I see some of these moves as future comp picks while we continue to build key pieces. If deebo balls out we can let him go sign one last big deal and get a nice pick in return that’s value is higher than a 5th. Also, I’m not too worried about one year deals on older guys that will get another contract elsewhere. I fully expect us to trade back with one of our first two picks, possibly even both which will net us some youth to infuse into the team.

Yessssss. AP no doubt has factored in comp pick value to what he’s doing. Still has to be right but it’s for sure been a consideration.

 

[Bulldog]

Thanks Ashburn Dave. Gooseneck, I have added this updated list to the 1st post of this thread so we can easily find it as free agency continues, hope you don't mind.

 

[Bulldog]

Deebo is slated here to be the #2 receiver. I think getting a guy who can play that spot for a #5 pick is a steal.

I don't think it was so much a noticeable decline (when healthy) but the fact the 49ers were facing a reset under the cap as the group from 2024 had competed for a Super Bowl for the past 4 years with guys getting big pay raises and needed to pay Purdy and get younger.

The question in my mind there is whether Purdy is worth that long-term money. He seems to be more system and complementary personnel dependent than guys like Mahomes, Jackson, a Aaron Rodgers in his prime or even Jayden Daniels last season.

 

[Boone]

And a lot of these DL guys, I didn’t even know who they were. That’s obviously not a rave review.

Your post was generally awesome. But this sentence…

You didn’t. Adam Peters did.

He does this for a living so until he demonstrates he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s getting max benefit of doubt.

Again, the rest of your post is awesome, I just take issue with this assertion.

 

[Anselmheifer]

Your post was generally awesome. But this sentence…

You didn’t. Adam Peters did.

He does this for a living so until he demonstrates he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s getting max benefit of doubt.

Again, the rest of your post is awesome, I just take issue with this assertion.

I’m not saying I didn’t know them, so they are bad signings.

As a generality, I think Peter’s is great and trust him. This isn’t the Bruce Allen era where we only shopped bargain bin, and it’s not the Ron Rivera era, when every poster on ES would have drafted better.

My point was more that I can see how people would be disappointed because they aren’t moved you can point to as o visually good moves. They require trust.

I also think the Adam Peters model of coordinating closely with coaching staff regarding what their needs are and regarding player fit is huge. It’s why the Kinlaw signing didn’t raise my blood pressure. This staff assuredly has a pre-planned role for Kinlaw, to maximize his impact on the team, and that’s why they signed him.

Also, I really tend to trust Logan Paulsen. He really liked the Kinlaw signing. And he generally sounds like he likes most of the additions we’ve made.

 

[philibusters]

Also, I really tend to trust Logan Paulsen. He really liked the Kinlaw signing. And he generally sounds like he likes most of the additions we’ve made.

I am also a big Logan Paulsen fan. At least from his comments on the Take Command podcast, I would not say he loved the move. My memory might be a bit fuzzy cause I listened to the podcast on Friday (two days ago), but my imprssion of what he said was that Kinlaw had some juice was an explosive athlete and that 15 million a season was just the cost of a low end starter/high end rotational piece at DT. He said Kinlaw can be a little bit inconsistent, but you definitely see an explosive athlete on film. I would say his take was not that he loved the move, but that the contract Kinlaw got was appropriate and if the Commanders have a good plan on how to use him, it could be a good move, but I didn't get the sense he thought it was a slam dunk move.

 

[Anselmheifer]

I am also a big Logan Paulsen fan. At least from his comments on the Take Command podcast, I would not say he loved the move. My memory might be a bit fuzzy cause I listened to the podcast on Friday (two days ago), but my imprssion of what he said was that Kinlaw had some juice was an explosive athlete and that 15 million a season was just the cost of a low end starter/high end rotational piece at DT. He said Kinlaw can be a little bit inconsistent, but you definitely see an explosive athlete on film. I would say his take was not that he loved the move, but that the contract Kinlaw got was appropriate and if the Commanders have a good plan on how to use him, it could be a good move, but I didn't get the sense he thought it was a slam dunk move.

Everything you said above is true.. I could swear that Hoffman asked what he thought at some point and Paulsen first said, “I love it”, before going into a more lengthy conversation. . But, I could be wrong.

 

[burgold]

To me, it's a plus that we got a bunch of guys I never heard of. Maybe it's an anti-Snyder bias, but shopping names feels a little too easy. I want creativity out of my GM and for them to unearth gems. In the "names" bin we got Deebo and Tunsil. I think pretty much everyone who follow the NFL knows them. After that, we didn't shop in the generic bin we aren't getting Cheapios pretending to be Cheerios. I look at it like Peters went to estate sales looking for treasures that were undervalued. Yeah, some of the players he got have been loved and showed a bit of wear, but they were well made and have that provenance to make up for it.

Stop stretching the metaphor! It's going to break! I can go further. No, stop here. Fine. Fine. I will.

 

[Discobob]

If you are SUPER negative about these off-season moves, its hard to not see an element of Stockholm Syndrome. We went though 25 years of abuse and it's hard to not believe that the rug isn't about to be pulled out....

It's possible that these moves won't pan out, but i think last year's success is reason to be cautiously hopeful.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I'm a little surprised that I'm alone on this hill, for sure.

I honestly really like most of the FAs that we brought in.

I just really hate trading away draft picks.

Yes, it does feel a little "dirty" and "inappropriate" to be trading away this many draft picks. Absolutely. Building through the draft is essential for long-term success. This is true.

However, in the last 10 years, I think we have seen that when teams feel they hit on a franchise QB (which is just a QB *that team* can build around; it does not necessarily denote a top-anything QB, for me), they begin the building. No such QB will be cheaper after the rookie contract, because if you do actually have one, it is generally the piece that is the hardest to obtain otherwise.

Building around the QB necessitates more FA moves.

The other problem is, if they want to go true BPA in the draft, they have to fill major spots and needs in FA. They just do. There are not enough draft picks to definitely fill their needs, and the draft is so dynamic that if they can do BPA at every pick they have - in terms of what you and I both desperately want (long-term team building) - I actually think it can work out quite well.

The biggest single obstacle to any team's ability to develop long-term success is really simple. I think the main thing is just having the right GM and HC in place (hence why we need to trust that). I think you get some teams with that "close" success, and a lot of them have one of those two. You have some teams who are perennially bad, and they do not have either. Then you have teams like ours (whew!) who finally seem to have either both figured out, or both *mostly* figured out.

 

[Renegade7]

I'm a little surprised that I'm alone on this hill, for sure.

I honestly really like most of the FAs that we brought in.

I just really hate trading away draft picks.

This free agency felt like it dried up fast in regards for chances at major upgrades, even at places we really needed.

We are trading more picks then I'd like. But they did the right thing protecting their cap space, but the market wasn't there to avoid overspending to resolve via signing alone.

So keep signing folks as close to their worth and limit commitments you can't get out of. Likely theyll trade down and get more picks then not trade as many picks for players much going forward.

They had to this offseason, Philly lost too many folks not to try to pounce while you can.

 

[philibusters]

In terms of trading away draft picks here is my take on each of the trades:

1. Laremy Tunsil: No brainer. Franchise LT's is the position of the second greatest scarcity in the NFL behind franchise QB's. You don't worry too much about draft capital if trading for a franchise LT (has long as you don't severely overpay).

2. Marshon Lattimore: I liked the trade, but it was not a no brainer. Franchise CB's are easier to find in both free agency and in the draft than LT's so you do have to weigh the cost of the draft picks more heavily than when trading for a Franchise LT. I think Lattimore was worth the risk. But so far, very early in the process after the trade, it looks like a bad trade. If Carlton Davis or Chavarious Ward are just as good as Lattimore than it was a bad trade because its the same cost in terms of cap space over the next couple years more or less and we could have gotten them without giving up a 3rd, 4th, and 6th (and getting back a 5th). To me for the trade to have been a good trade, Lattimore needs to better than guys like Carlton Davis, Ward, Brandon Stephens, DJ Reed. We'll see if he is. I liked the trade at the time, but think in hindsight it may end up being a loser because we could have gotten a similar player at a similar price without giving up any trade capital in free agency.

3. Deebo Samuel: Number 2 WR's are much easier to find in the draft and free agency than franchise LT's and a bit easier to find than starting caliber press man corners. That said, the trade compensation for Deebo was smaller. Ultimately it is gong to come down to Deebo's fit in the scheme. Deebo is a unique player with his after catch ability. If he is good in Washington a 5th rounder is fine. If he has lost some of his unique after the catch ability, then he is just a meh older number 2 WR and those are quite easy to find in free agency where you don't have to give up a 5th round pick.

I liked all three trades in the moment. Tunsil was a slam dunk in my opinion simply because franchise LT's don't become available in free agency and are generally not even available late in the first round. There is probably only 14 or 15 franchise LT's in the league and if one becomes available you should try to pounce. The other two trades are more debateable because similar options MIGHT have been available in free agency or on day 2 of the draft.

 

[RWJ]

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

All:
I have to say, I really disagree about Lattimore. I am extremely conservative on trades and love to keep draft capital, however, when the stars align and you have a chance at catching lightning in a bottle, you do have to pounce.

They correctly identified a serious problem (CB), and that was going to be a serious problem for them to make it to a Super Bowl and/or win a Super Bowl. Both of those goals were well within reach last year. One of the biggest determinants of "market value" is *timing* - and Lattimore's value was extremely bloated due to the timing - supply/demand and the need (for the Commanders) at that time.

So; I have 0 problem with them going for Lattimore. I imagine they knew the risks associated, but gauged against what I am saying above; the risk was worth it, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. In the course of a season, so many things can derail you. The Redskins of the 80s probably would have at least one more Super Bowl (maybe two) except they got hit with some injuries at bad times. Those are the breaks.

I think they made a big gamble. Without any other consideration, did they give up too much? Probably. In their shoes last year, under those circumstances, was it understandable? To me: undoubtedly. You can't consider that trade in a vacuum, in my opinion. If they don't make that trade, I think there is a 10% chance of making noise in the playoffs and in particular making a Super Bowl. With that trade, if just a couple of things roll right, their chances go up to somewhere around 40-60% (again, if some things roll right). I don't think that happened, but the amount of improvement this team stood to gain last year with a potential Super Bowl run looking very likely... I think it was the right play. Many have said the Lattimore trade was about 2025, but I think it was definitely also about 2024.

 

[skinsinparadise]