The San Francisco 49ers haven’t made too many moves so far in free agency, but they’ve made some impactful ones, specifically signing wide receiver Mike Evans on a three-year, $42.4 million deal that is worth up to $60 million.
Additionally, San Francisco brought back Dre Greenlaw on a one-year deal, reuniting him with former running mate Fred Warner. They’ve also added swing tackle Vederian Lowe, cornerback Nate Hobbs, and punter Corliss Waitman, while re-signing linebacker Luke Gifford.
That was
enough to convince ESPN’s Aaron Schatz that the 49ers were one of the NFL’s five most improved teams through the early free agency period along with the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
As expected, Schatz named Mike Evans as the team’s best signing this offseason.
“The 49ers made only one major signing, but it was a really good one,” Schatz wrote. “Evans is exactly the kind of receiver that the 49ers were missing in a couple of ways. He’s a large (6-foot-5, 231-pound) perimeter threat who can win on 50-50 balls, and he’s an experienced veteran who can be an important locker room presence. The injury-riddled 49ers have to hope they are getting the Evans from most of his career (11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons) instead of last year’s Evans (who dealt with hamstring and collarbone injuries and played just eight games).”
He also named Lowe as the team’s most underrated signing, given the team’s need for a swing tackle.
“Lowe is not the best player out there; his pass block win rate was 89.2% last season, which is below average, although his run block win rate was an above-average 75.7%,” Schatz. “However, he fits well in San Francisco as a swing tackle just in case something happens with Trent Williams’ contract situation or in case 37-year-old Williams comes back but gets hurt during the 2026 season.”
San Francisco has also made a trade for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, so they’ve shored up wide receiver, linebacker, defensive line, cornerback, and offensive line depth so far this offseason, with room for more additions. The team should also see an increase in cap space if/when they extend Trent Williams, whose cap hit is currently nearly $39 million.
2026 will be a crucial year for the team, with San Francisco’s stars continuing to get older and multiple key players coming off injuries. We’ll see how much more the team pushes its chips in this offseason for a Super Bowl run.
