The 2026 Free Agency Thread

Kills me people think Ayiuk is our top option and he would be it

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Peters would be IMO very stupid to sign Aiyuk and figure the wide receiver position is solidified on this team.

And I don't think he is that deer in the headlights although he does seem to love him some former 49ers - Kinlaw, Deebo, etc.

Sometimes I wish he would forget about the guys HE drafted in SF who were either traded or left in free agency and look for guys the team actually wanted to keep :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

That's what Sean Payton did in Denver and he was able to put together a very good defense there in relatively short order.
 
I will never forget Laveranues Coles saying that he flew in with his agent and Washington was willing to give him double the bonus he thought he was going to get in free agency and his agent told him to just sign the damn papers.
 
DogofWar1 said:
For RB I'd probably lean White first, then Gainwell just because if we add someone in FA it should probably be someone with high level pass catching skills so Bill can continue to grow.

Also ensures that IF we did go Love in the draft we don't have an even bigger car pile-up than we'll already have, assuming we re-sign CRod, but also gives us a well-rounded backfield if we don't.
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I thought of that too (about KC). But what if they have that agreement in place and then KC goes and signs someone like Etienne. It’s hard to make decisions based on future what ifs.
 
Riggo44 said:
Kills me people think Ayiuk is our top option and he would be it

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Catching up with Standig's latest podcast -- its one of his biggest divides with Keim.

Keim believes a Doubs-Jennings-Saheed type of signing would also come with Aiyuk. He only questioned it if they signed Pierce for big money, that it might preclude Aiyuk.

Standig is saying Aiyuk would be the main feature WR signing and no big name with him, it would be a smaller signing like Thornton with him.

i am betting on Keim. Will see.
 
I don't know whether this has been posted here but according to Logan, there is good crop of centers in the draft as another option.

 
Bulldog said:
By that logic we should offer Aubrey a contract at the #1 pick tender because he is the best kicker and special teams weapon in the league.

But positions do have relative valuations and center doesn't come out to equal with quarterback, left tackle, pass rushing DE and cover corner, etc.

You need a solid player at the center position but few teams spend megabucks there.

Here you are looking at $30M for Tunsil and we are already paying Cosmi what at the time was a top 5-7 salary for a guard.

Do we want to have any money left to actually build a defense so that like Sam Darnold or Drake Maye Daniels doesn't have to score 30-35 points each week on offense to have a chance to win the game?

I remember Ron Wolf saying get the quarterback and the defensive line. Then get the left tackle.

The other positions you fill in over time, but overspending at center or kicker or tight end or another complementary position leaves you short at the more critical ones under the cap.
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I get your point, but to counter, C is a (big?) need and a premium player is availbale, only costing money, not draft compensation. His addition would in theory protect the our franchise QB and also help the running and passing games.

WR is a big need, but the top player (pierce) is at best a number 2 and if a D wants they can make him a non factor in the game. Same can be said for RB, there is Walker, who is maybe a top 10 RB and everyone else, no one premium.

I can make the same argument about DE abd CB, solid players, but not sure anyone is in the top 10 (maybe an older Hendrickson or an oft injured Phillips?).

Adding Lindenbaum dosent prevent the team from adding other players filling needs, just don't agree with overpaying average players and not pursuing the best guys at their positions.
 
burgold said:
I've been thinking he's underrated recently.

I'm not sure how many RBs win with 9 in the box and no receivers or tes that the defense has to respect. He was pretty good when the offense had even a beat. Plus, Kingsbury only wanted to use him as a batter ram running straight up the gut which was a pretty weird choice since Bill has wheels.
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I’d say he’s above replacement level, with some home run ability. That’s awesome for a 7th round pick, and he could start if he had to due to injuries.

His vision likely isn’t going to improve and his main weakness is as a pass catcher and pass protector for our franchise QB. So where you’re comfortable playing him is limited right now.

How confident are you that he’ll improve his pass protection skills this offseason, which hasn’t happened yet? You have to decide on RB additions before you find that out. Just a part of the business.

He’s a great change of pace guy with upside if a better player gets injured. Why isn’t that enough for people? Why are people so insistent that we maybe found a potential stud RB1 in the final round of the draft, as if adding RB talent is in some way wasting or blocking him?

He may develop into a really good RB. I think vision doesn’t improve much, it’s instinctual…so he’s probably never going to be great. Still a great draft pick and a great guy to have on the roster for cheap. It’s okay to not bet our franchise QB’s health on that. We need more talent at RB, and Bill is likely close to a finished product as a rusher at 25 years old this season. He’ll finish his rookie contract after his age 27 season, he’s not going to be worth investing in longterm in all likelihood. Again, a great use of a 7th round pick and he could improve his passing down skillset to be more well-rounded as a backup.
 
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Canuck said:
Bill alone isn't the answer, but Bill, C-Rod and a FA third down back (Gainwell?) are serviceable IMO and wouldn't be the "problem" with the offense.
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The thing is, there’s no reason to settle for “serviceable” and “not a problem”. If the goal is to maximize Jayden and the offense, it’s not super pricey to greatly improve the RB room beyond what you’re imagining. So do it imo. We don’t need to cut corners and play games, we have extremely open cap space
 
Conn said:
The thing is, there’s no reason to settle for “serviceable” and “not a problem”. If the goal is to maximize Jayden and the offense, it’s not super pricey to greatly improve the RB room beyond what you’re imagining. So do it imo. We don’t need to cut corners and play games, we have extremely open cap space
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Agree. And I’d add they have said they want to be a heavy run oriented play action driven team.

If that’s what they want to do then clearly it works best with a back that can take over a game.
 
Bulldog said:
One of the factors though in running back attrition is carries and usage over time. The fact Merritt came out of college at 23 instead of 22 or 21 doesn't necessarily mean his NFL career will be shorter.

What we do see are running backs that get heavy carries early in their careers are usually the ones that drop off the map when they are in their late 20's.

There are exceptions like Riggins or a Derrick Henry at come along.

But I see Merritt being PART of a running backs room that can be very productive with the addition of a primary back for 2026 and going forward.

Still doesn't mean I rule out Merritt through injury or attrition being a guy that could be a 1,000 yard rusher for us in 2027 or 2028 if he gets on the field in that role.
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That’s not true at all. You’re repeating a common fallacy that advanced analytics nerds have been trying to destroy for a decade to no avail because most people assess things based on vibes, and what you said “sounds” good.

But in reality nearly every statistic in existence shows that for RB’s who prove able to handle a true bellcow workload in the first place, age is the only true cliff. Not career carries. In fact, carries are a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Meaning, the most powerful indicator that someone will receive and handle bellcow carries in the future is the history of them having done it already in the past. With 28/29 or so being the age cliff. That’s where Henry is an exception, on top of his obvious physical talent.

So there is no inherent upside to college prospects who have “extra tread left on their tires” from low touches. It actually makes it less likely that they’re potential bellcows in the NFL because unless they shared a backfield with a true stud, most coaches are logical enough to load up their best players with touches if they earn them and can handle them. So for some reason those guys weren’t trusted with a bellcow workload.

This is why the Antonio Gibson “he was barely used in college” was never a positive.

One season of bellcow work in college makes the odds that a guy can do it in the NFL much higher, if they’re otherwise very talented. 2+ seasons and it’s much more possible.

The only exception are when guys get multiple 400+ touch seasons which can shorten their prime sometimes (which we don’t have to worry about), and of course injuries which are unpredictable.

But an older RB does in fact have less prime left than a younger RB of similar talent, assuming they’re even both capable of being bellcows in the first place.

In summary: statistically there’s no such thing as “low mileage” at RB. In fact it’s usually a negative in a RB profile. You want a guy who is younger, is an elite athlete, who got a TON of college touches and produced at an elite level with them. That’s the secret sauce.
 
We'll see, but other than maybe Walker, I don't think any of the options in FA move the needle much.

I could see Allgeier maybe having the skill set, but to me he is C-Rod.

The only way we can really improve RB beyond what we have is to draft Love at 7.
 
Conn said:
That’s not true at all. You’re repeating a common fallacy that advanced analytics nerds have been trying to destroy for a decade to no avail because most people assess things based on vibes, and what you said “sounds” good.

But in reality nearly every statistic in existence shows that for RB’s who prove able to handle a true bellcow workload in the first place, age is the only true cliff. Not career carries. In fact, carries are a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Meaning, the most powerful indicator that someone will receive and handle bellcow carries in the future is the history of them having done it already in the past. With 28/29 or so being the age cliff. That’s where Henry is an exception, on top of his obvious physical talent.

So there is no inherent upside to college prospects who have “extra tread left on their tires” from low touches. It actually makes it less likely that they’re potential bellcows in the NFL because unless they shared a backfield with a true stud, most coaches are logical enough to load up their best players with touches if they earn them and can handle them. So for some reason those guys weren’t trusted with a bellcow workload.

This is why the Antonio Gibson “he was barely used in college” was never a positive.

One season of bellcow work in college makes the odds that a guy can do it in the NFL much higher, if they’re otherwise very talented. 2+ seasons and it’s much more possible.

The only exception are when guys get multiple 400+ touch seasons which can shorten their prime sometimes (which we don’t have to worry about), and of course injuries which are unpredictable.

But an older RB does in fact have less prime left than a younger RB of similar talent, assuming they’re even both capable of being bellcows in the first place.

In summary: statistically there’s no such thing as “low mileage” at RB. In fact it’s usually a negative in a RB profile. You want a guy who is younger, is an elite athlete, who got a TON of college touches and produced at an elite level with them. That’s the secret sauce.
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this...this makes a lot of sense to me. I had no bellcow workload (no football at all, in fact) prior to 30 and definitely felt a drop in my potential as soon as I crossed the 30 year mark.
 
skinsinparadise said:
Where is KDawg I thought he was the lead we need to do better than Croskey-Merritt guy? :)
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I can’t believe people think we’re okay with Bill and a 3rd down back, to be honest.

Bill is a home run threat capable of getting yards. 100%. He also has a high ceiling, especially for a 7th rounder.

But he’s not a bell cow. Pass pro isn’t up to snuff, receiving isn’t where we’d need it and he doesn’t have great vision.

But when he finds a lane - he finds it. I like Bill… as a change of pace option and a developmental prospect.

Get a high tier back in here with him and this offensive is cooking with fire.
 
I'm not sold on Croskey-Merritt by a longshot. People throw out the 'he's a homerun threat' stuff constantly. Is he? He had that one 72 yarder but any RB can break one. 8 TDs in 2025, okay. I just don't get the hype. The other thing people seize on is 'we found him in the 7th round'. Okay - anybody who can play at all who we find in the 7th round is a bargain, I get that. But that doesn't elevate his abilities as a RB in any way. We aren't grading talent 'on a curve' :)

He's not bad. But a #1 RB? There's not any evidence that he is a special RB - yet.
 
Most folks I think agree that successful teams today have two backs in their offense.

That's what the Seahawks had for the season and into the playoffs before Walker took over.

Acquiring a guy like Walker and having Merritt here as the #2 back to me is a strong position for us.
 
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