The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[skinsinparadise]

 

[Riggo44]

But ironically watching McCaffrey-Lane college tape made me really into Bernard, A. Williams and to some extent Sarratt in this draft assuming this team skipped taking a WR in the first round. When you watch those guys, they can do a bit of everything. When you watched college Lane and McCaffrey they were not nearly as polished as those three WRs or as well rounded. And that was part of the reason, I ideally didn't want a raw boom-bust type WR in the third -- and thereby I was thrilled when they took Antonio.

I was with you on that uber-athletic, boom-bust type. I wanted a polished route runner, can separate, knows how to get open. I mistook Williams as the former rather than the latter; the more I read and watch on him, the more excited I get.

As for Lane, I brought this up before, did we ever see him getting balls close to the LOS? His ADOT was 13.3 (per Pro Football Reference)! I love his speed, I don't expect him to be a route technician, but I think he can be schemed open to use that 4.3 speed in the open field. A Deebo-lite, if you will.

 

[burgold]

Last year, I really wanted Daniels to get a weapon more than I wanted him to get a receiver. It felt like Peters was on the same page as me. Bill and Lane both had the speed to be homerun hitters, but they weren't necessarily chain movers. This year, the steady, professional receiver seems like something we need more than the big play guy. Mind you, I still want the big play guy, too, and I think we still have that potential when you look at Lane, Bill, Terry, and Dyami, but I think the priority was getting a good, reliable receiver. I'm hoping Williams is a little more than just that, but a receiver who knows how to get open, how to run great routes, and how to move the chains is a worthwhile commodity. We need one more of those professional talented receivers. Not Jags because we need a receiver who can separate and need to be taken seriously, but not necessarily game dominators.

We all want the superstar, but you can get pretty far with professional weapons with good talent. I think that's why several of us are fine with Williams and what we want out of Aiyuk and/or Diggs. We want a guy who will be a contributor on more than one or two splash plays a game.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I was with you on that uber-athletic, boom-bust type. I wanted a polished route runner, can separate, knows how to get open. I mistook Williams as the former rather than the latter; the more I read and watch on him, the more excited I get.

As for Lane, I brought this up before, did we ever see him getting balls close to the LOS? His ADOT was 13.3 (per Pro Football Reference)! I love his speed, I don't expect him to be a route technician, but I think he can be schemed open to use that 4.3 speed in the open field. A Deebo-lite, if you will.

The Deebo lite is what I billed him as when they took him. But they already had Deebo. And injuries sort of threw him into the fire for a bigger role.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Last year, I really wanted Daniels to get a weapon more than I wanted him to get a receiver. It felt like Peters was on the same page as me. Bill and Lane both had the speed to be homerun hitters, but they weren't necessarily chain movers. This year, the steady, professional receiver seems like something we need more than the big play guy. Mind you, I still want the big play guy, too, and I think we still have that potential when you look at Lane, Bill, Terry, and Dyami, but I think the priority was getting a good, reliable receiver. I'm hoping Williams is a little more than just that, but a receiver who knows how to get open, how to run great routes, and how to move the chains is a worthwhile commodity. We need one more of those professional talented receivers. Not Jags because we need a receiver who can separate and need to be taken seriously, but not necessarily game dominators.

We all want the superstar, but you can get pretty far with professional weapons with good talent. I think that's why several of us are fine with Williams and what we want out of Aiyuk and/or Diggs. We want a guy who will be a contributor on more than one or two splash plays a game.

Yeah for me, I don't need a superstar but a competent #2 type. And part of that also is I don't want a unit that crumbles if Terry gets hurt.

The problem if you got a collection of #4 types is that if you lose your #1, it can be a repeat of last year which is the opponents don't respect the passing game, play man on every WR and tee off and blitz the heck out of Jayden.

 

[Anselmheifer]

Talk about needing depth. It looks like Nabers had a second surgery in April to remove scar tissue from after his ACL surgery. No bueno for the Giants.

 

[Discobob]

Talk about needing depth. It looks like Nabers had a second surgery in April to remove scar tissue from after his ACL surgery. No bueno for the Giants.

Lets help 'em out... 5th for Nabers?

 

[Anselmheifer]

I hope they don’t try to snatch up Diggs

 

[Conn]

I was with you on that uber-athletic, boom-bust type. I wanted a polished route runner, can separate, knows how to get open. I mistook Williams as the former rather than the latter; the more I read and watch on him, the more excited I get.

As for Lane, I brought this up before, did we ever see him getting balls close to the LOS? His ADOT was 13.3 (per Pro Football Reference)! I love his speed, I don't expect him to be a route technician, but I think he can be schemed open to use that 4.3 speed in the open field. A Deebo-lite, if you will.

Maybe we tried this and I just don’t remember many of them, but under Kliff I was really surprised we didn’t scheme Lane bubble screens and motion handoffs off-tackle, etc. Easy ways to get the ball in his hands and let him work and use his speed and vision for setting up blocks as if on a punt return. Felt like the sort of thing Kliff would have dreamed up when we drafted him, so the fact we awkwardly wedged Lane into more of a downfield role, where his more questionable hands and lack of early route-running acumen would hurt him, surprised me.

I know a lot of people here liked Kliff a LOT more than I did, but part of me wonders if we all find out that Blough simply using guys logically and not being stubborn in his tendencies unlocks a lot of these guys to at least be productive role players, rather than total mismatches for the scheme. Blough could do himself a lot of favors this way, long before we have any idea if he’s actually got what it takes to be a stud play caller long term. You don’t want to be too obvious about how you use guys, like burgold and I talked about the other day. But there has to be a middle ground where you don’t ask guys to do things so outside their skillset while ignoring what they do well, just bc you want to plug and play guys into your scheme a certain way or else.

 

[SkinsGuru]

Maybe we tried this and I just don’t remember many of them, but under Kliff I was really surprised we didn’t scheme Lane bubble screens and motion handoffs off-tackle, etc. Easy ways to get the ball in his hands and let him work and use his speed and vision for setting up blocks as if on a punt return. Felt like the sort of thing Kliff would have dreamed up when we drafted him, so the fact we awkwardly wedged Lane into more of a downfield role, where his more questionable hands and lack of early route-running acumen would hurt him, surprised me.

I know a lot of people here liked Kliff a LOT more than I did, but part of me wonders if we all find out that Blough simply using guys logically and not being stubborn in his tendencies unlocks a lot of these guys to at least be productive role players, rather than total mismatches for the scheme. Blough could do himself a lot of favors this way, long before we have any idea if he’s actually got what it takes to be a stud play caller long term. You don’t want to be too obvious about how you use guys, like burgold and I talked about the other day. But there has to be a middle ground where you don’t ask guys to do things so outside their skillset while ignoring what they do well, just bc you want to plug and play guys into your scheme a certain way or else.

I'm in AZ and the local guys were discussing Kill Kingsbury and how he was horrible at integrating and developing young WR's and TE's, especially TE's.

 

[DWinzit]

I'm in AZ and the local guys were discussing Kill Kingsbury and how he was horrible at integrating and developing young WR's and TE's, especially TE's.

Yeah and I believe last seasons results along with the lack of interviews for big jobs led to Kliffy swallowing his pride to be coach with the Rams. McVay should be able to push him in a better direction

 

[RedWolf]

That's not forget about this!

Next year we will most likely need WR1 and WR2!!! 🤔🤔🤔

 

[moondog]

I know they’re old and just stopgaps but I’d feel a lot better if we just signed Diggs and Kenny Moore. Forget about Aiyuk. But I feel like we probably won’t sign either and just wait for Aiyuk. I just don’t trust it at all and even everything else aside there’s no way that dude steps in the building late August or early September when SF finally cuts him and is physically ready. Dude would be hurt all year.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Commanders could be pushed toward crushing Brandon Aiyuk pivot

When is the tipping point?

riggosrag.com

One Niners analyst believes so, highlighting the growing speculation around Stefon Diggs as someone who could eventually see the Commanders remove themselves from the Aiyuk soap opera.

Aiyuk wants to be in Washington. Jayden Daniels is also clamoring for the move, offering his input behind the scenes. Peters has weighed everything up and is supposedly interested. But Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reaffirmed that the Commanders are not planning to trade for the player.

49ers analyst believes Commanders could pivot from Brandon Aiyuk as saga drags on​

Savanah Tujague of 49ers Roundtable believes the Commanders may be forced to explore alternatives with no movement imminent on Aiyuk. That will ensure they don't miss out entirely. And whether it's Diggs or someone else, Washington cannot get caught short in its quest to add more firepower around Daniels.

"With the Aiyuk negotiations stuck in neutral, Washington may be forced to look elsewhere to bolster Daniels' arsenal. One name gaining traction in the DMV is Stefon Diggs. Now a free agent at 32, Diggs represents a high ceiling but short term solution that wouldn't require Washington to surrender any draft picks.

"As the calendar turns toward June, the 49ers and Commanders remain locked in a tactical stalemate. San Francisco is betting that someone will eventually get desperate enough to trade for Aiyuk’s rights and Washington is betting that if they wait long enough, they can get him for just a contract."

This would be the smart play, in all honesty.

Any veteran signing at this stage wouldn't prevent the Commanders from going back to Aiyuk when he is eventually released. What this does is provide Washington with an insurance policy that can enter the setup immediately.

Aiyuk's situation with the Niners could drag on for months. They are under no obligation to do him any favors, especially after how bitter this relationship has clearly gotten. And with the Arizona State product's roster bonus not due until just before Week 1, San Francisco could hold out right until the last minute.

Just what the point in that would be is anyone's guess, but it's the principle. The Commanders are caught in the middle despite saying almost nothing about Aiyuk over the offseason. But unless Peters has a change of heart, he must consider other possibilities on the market.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Per that article, I don't buy that SF thinks some team will trade for him. It's just their excuse for holding on to him. If they were given truth serum, they'd say we just want to make Aiyuk's career miserable and will drag it out as long as we can to make it worse for him.

Aiyuk from what I understand has to go to camp. In his shoes, I'd go out of my way to be a nuisance in camp, be a distraction.

 

[DWinzit]

I know they’re old and just stopgaps but I’d feel a lot better if we just signed Diggs and Kenny Moore. Forget about Aiyuk. But I feel like we probably won’t sign either and just wait for Aiyuk. I just don’t trust it at all and even everything else aside there’s no way that dude steps in the building late August or early September when SF finally cuts him and is physically ready. Dude would be hurt all year.

I still like the idea of looking at Moore. His name hasn't been floated much by the media. He will sign someplace soon and appears a best option if they are still concerned at CB

 

[heisenberg]

Per that article, I don't buy that SF thinks some team will trade for him. It's just their excuse for holding on to him. If they were given truth serum, they'd say we just want to make Aiyuk's career miserable and will drag it out as long as we can to make it worse for him.

Aiyuk from what I understand has to go to camp. In his shoes, I'd go out of my way to be a nuisance in camp, be a distraction.

I jokingly stated he should show up in a thong because i agree this is his best course of action to get released sooner rather than later but he also has to be careful what he does because he has a reputation to rebuild.

He has a very tight rope to walk for sure.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I jokingly stated he should show up in a thong because i agree this is his best course of action to get released sooner rather than later but he also has to be careful what he does because he has a reputation to rebuild.

He has a very tight rope to walk for sure.

Yeah that's the drill where you got to finesse it where you don't come off like a kook. But his best shot to be released early, is to go to camp and be a distraction in it.

 

[heisenberg]

I still like the idea of looking at Moore. His name hasn't been floated much by the media. He will sign someplace soon and appears a best option if they are still concerned at CB

The colts secondary was pretty bad last year and we already brought in one guy from it, i worry about bringing in too many of the guys they're jettisoning from a poor unit.

 

[Riggo44]

I jokingly stated he should show up in a thong because i agree this is his best course of action to get released sooner rather than later but he also has to be careful what he does because he has a reputation to rebuild.

He has a very tight rope to walk for sure.