San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey

RB

McCaffrey earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2025, in which he suited up for all 17 regular-season games while racking up 2,126 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns on a career-high 413 touches. Shanahan acknowledged that McCaffrey, who will turn 30 in June and was limited to just four appearances in 2024 due to Achilles and knee issues, may have had his efficiency hampered by his workhorse role in 2025, as he averaged just 3.9 YPC. Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo are current candidates to compete for an increased No. 2 role behind McCaffrey following the departure of Brian Robinson for Atlanta, but the 49ers also could make further additions to the backfield in April's draft.

Nick Martin

LB

Martin was placed on IR with a concussion Dec. 20, and he was sidelined for the remainder of the season. The 2025 third-round pick tallied 11 tackles and one forced fumble across seven games as a rookie. Martin will likely once again see the majority of his playing time come on special teams while providing depth at inside linebacker.

Trent Williams

OT

Williams had his $10 million option bonus declined by San Francisco on March 20, and he currently carries a $46.3 million cap number for the 2026 season. The team likely will have to lower that number to keep the three-time All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowler on the roster. Lynch also said he feels like the two sides are "on the precipice of something good happening, but we'll see." Williams has started all 84 regular-season games that he's played in San Francisco, and he's entering his age-38 season in 2026.

Mykel Williams

DE

Williams tore the ACL and lateral meniscus in his right knee during the 49ers' Week 9 win over the Giants. Lynch acknowledged that the 2025 first-round pick might take longer than fellow defensive end Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL about 1.5 months earlier in late September, to recover. Williams tallied 20 tackles and 1.0 sacks over nine games as a rookie.

Nick Bosa

DE

Bosa suffered a torn right ACL during Week 3 last season and underwent successful surgery in late September. The 28-year-old has been trending in a positive direction since the beginning of the offseason, and it would be a significant boost for San Francisco's defense if he's ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. In the four seasons before 2025, Bosa logged 53.5 sacks over 64 regular-season games.

George Kittle

TE

Lynch noted that Kittle is progressing well in his recovery from a torn right Achilles that he suffered in the 49ers' NFC wild-card win over the Eagles in January. Working in Kittle's favor is the fact that he suffered a clear tear near the soleus muscle higher up the Achilles, which typically takes less time to rehab, but whether the veteran tight end is available for the start of the regular season ultimately will come down to his participation in training camp in July and August. Jake Tonges (foot) would be slated to serve as the Niners' TE1 to open the 2026 season if Kittle is not ready to return by then.

Rob Jones

G

Jones didn't play at all last season after breaking a bone in his neck in late July while with the Cowboys. He's presumably back to health and could compete for a starting role with the 49ers. During his tenure with the Dolphins from 2021 to 2024, Jones started 30 of the 49 games in which he appeared.

Sam Okuayinonu

DT

Okuayinonu is officially set to return to San Francisco, where he spent the past two seasons, recording 74 tackles (48 solo) and two forced fumbles across 31 games. The 27-year-old will likely continue to operate as a backup linebacker during the upcoming campaign.

Christian Kirk

WR

Kirk, who is heading into his age-30 season, will join a 49ers wide receiver corps that also houses free-agent signee Mike Evans, plus incumbents Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson, where he presumably pencils in for the No. 3 role. Across 13 regular-season appearances with the Texans in 2025, Kirk was limited to just a 28-239-1 line on 52 targets, but he flashed down the stretch, combining for 10 catches for 164 yards and two scores (15 targets) during the team's two postseason games. Although he faces crowded competition for targets, with RB Christian McCaffrey and TE George Kittle (Achilles) also present, Kirk could prove productive while paired with QB Brock Purdy in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, if a path to consistent opportunities materializes.

Corliss Waitman

P

Waitman spent the past two campaigns with Pittsburgh and averaged 46.0 yards per punt during the regular season over that span. He's expected to take over as San Francisco's primary punter as the replacement for Thomas Morstead.

Luke Gifford

LB

The Nebraska product is now set to remain in San Francisco after spending his 2025 campaign with the 49ers. Across 17 regular-season games last year, Gifford tallied 35 total tackles and one pass defensed, logging 523 total snaps (353 on special teams, 170 on defense). He's expected to play a key role on San Francisco's special-teams unit during the 2026 season.

Nate Hobbs

CB

Hobbs signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers last offseason to be the team's slot corner, but he dealt with injuries seemingly all season and appeared in just 11 regular-season contests. Hobbs finished with a career-low 27 tackles (14 solo) and just two pass breakups before being released this week. He'll try to get healthy in San Francisco after suffering a torn MCL in Week 17.

Dre Greenlaw

LB

Greenlaw spent the first six years of his career with San Francisco before signing with the Broncos last offseason. Greenlaw went on to miss more than half of the season due to quadriceps and hamstring injuries, appearing in just eight regular-season contests. He's made just 10 regular-season appearances across the last two seasons due to lower-body injuries. Greenlaw knows the system and is a veteran option for a linebacker group that dealt with a rash of injuries during the 2025 campaign.

Osa Odighizuwa

DT

According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, Odighizuwa had offseason surgery on his elbow, termed a clean-up procedure, that is not expected to affect his availability for the offseason program. A third-round pick in the 2021 Draft, Odighizuwa signed a new four-year, $80 million deal with Dallas last offseason. He appeared in all 17 regular-season games, making 13 starts, and has missed just one contest throughout his five-year career. During the 2025 campaign, Odighizuwa posted 44 tackles (16 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and he gives the Niners a needed boost to their defensive line.

Brandon Aiyuk

WR

With the 2026 league year kicking off Wednesday afternoon, San Francisco can now release Aiyuk with a post-June 1 designation that spreads some of the dead-cap charge to 2027. Multiple reporters, including Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com, have suggested that Aiyuk is likely to end up in Washington, where he'd reunite with close friend and former college teammate Jayden Daniels.

Jake Tonges

TE

Tonges was scheduled for restricted free agency and presumably would've gotten some kind of tender if the two sides hadn't worked out this deal. He suffered a plantar fascia injury during the playoff loss at Seattle in January, but it's thought to be less serious than the Achilles tear that George Kittle suffered a week earlier. Tonges thus stands a chance to start Week 1.

Patrick Taylor Jr.

RB

Taylor missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a shoulder injury suffered during the preseason, for which he required surgery, but he's presumably now fully healthy and ready for the start of offseason activities. In what will be his age-28 season, Taylor projects to provide backfield depth behind Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo.

Brett Toth

C

Toth has started six games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He's not expected to push for a full-time starting job, but he should provide depth on the interior offensive line.

Garret Wallow

LB

Wallow played seven games for the Texans in 2025 before he was waived in December. The 49ers swooped in and claimed him off waivers. Wallow played a vital role during the playoffs due to injuries ahead of him in the depth chart, handling 105 defensive snaps over two postseason games and recording 12 tackles (five solo) in the process. With Fred Warner (ankle) expected back in 2026, the 49ers are hoping Wallow can contribute on special teams.

Vederian Lowe

OT

Lowe spent the majority of the 2025 season as a backup offensive lineman for the Patriots, though he started in four straight games from Week 13 to Week 17 due to the absence of Will Campbell (knee). Lowe will now head to San Francisco, where he's expected to serve as a backup option at offensive tackle behind Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz.

Eddy Pineiro

PK

Pineiro took over for beleaguered kicker Jake Moody in San Francisco in Week 2 of the 2025 campaign and ended up connecting on 28 of 29 field-goal attempts and 34 of 38 point-after tries in 14 regular-season games. Pineiro's mark of 8.4 points per contest ranked fifth among NFL placekickers with at least that many appearances, and the 30-year-old now is locked in as the 49ers' kicker through 2029.

Alfred Collins

DT

Collins was asked to start early in his rookie campaign for a San Francisco squad lacking interior defensive line depth. The second-round pick didn't stand out from a statistical standpoint, but he did record the first sack of his career. Collins should be a frontrunner to start at one of tackle positions in 2026.

C.J. West

DT

The fourth-round draft pick was eased into the defensive line rotation before watching his snap count rise in the second half of the schedule. West nabbed his first career sack in Week 16 of the regular season and then went on to record another in the 49ers' divisional round loss to the Seahawks. The 23-year-old will enter his second pro season with an opportunity to compete for a starting defensive tackle position.

Marques Sigle

S

The fifth-round rookie began his pro career by making five starts in place of injured safety Malik Mustapha. Sigle accrued 39 of his 52 tackles during that span, showing flashes of IDP utility. The 23-year-old figures to serve as depth behind Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown in 2026, especially with Jason Pinnock set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Renardo Green

CB

Green began his sophomore campaign as a starting corner and finished with similar counting stats to his rookie season, sans the two turnovers he forced last year. The 2024 second-round pick missed the last couple games of the regular season with an ankle injury, but he was able to recover in time to make a pair of playoff appearances. Green should have an inside track on a starting role next season, assuming the 49ers do not make significant additions to a secondary that ranked in the bottom third of the league in 2025.