Tag: 49ers defensive line

49ers should jump at chance to sign former DPOY in free agency

Khalil Mack time?

A report surfaced from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday that indicated Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Khalil Mack is set to return for the 2025 season.

Mack is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and he’ll be entering his 12th NFL season at age 34. Last season for the Chargers he posted 6.0 sacks – a steep drop off from the 17.0 he posted in 2023.

Despite the dip in production, the San Francisco 49ers should be in hot pursuit of Mack in free agency.

Mack can’t be their only move, but he’s a legitimate edge rusher with an outstanding resume who can bolster a pass rush that desperately needs some level of consistency on the side opposite Nick Bosa. San Francisco will likely add additional depth this offseason, opening a door for Mack to be a pass-rush specialist who doesn’t necessarily need to be on the field for every down.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing the 49ers in chasing Mack could be his lack of desire to leave the Chargers.

Via ESPN:

Mack had said earlier this month that if he decided to continue playing, he believed his best chance to win was with the Chargers.

“As long as Justin Herbert is your quarterback. You got [safety] Derwin James and all these guys that love the game of football. And Jim Harbaugh coaching?” Mack said on Jan. 12. “You know you always have a chance to win. Yeah, that’s a no-brainer.”

As Mack enters the twilight of his career, however, the 49ers have the cap space to make an enticing offer for a defensive end who would dramatically upgrade their pass rush. They also bolster a talented roster and coaching staff that would still give Mack a chance to win his first playoff game. He’s 0-5 in five career trips to the postseason, including a blowout loss to the Houston Texans this year.

The 49ers tried to acquire Mack in a trade with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018. He was dealt instead to the Chicago Bears where he was a three-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year runner up. It wouldn’t be the same version of Mack the 49ers are acquiring, but he would be a quality pass rusher for a defensive line that needs as many as it can find.

Mack in 11 seasons has posted 107.5 sacks and 142 tackles for loss in 167 games. He is a four-time All-Pro and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.

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49ers’ biggest non-QB priority in 2025 offseason

The 49ers have to get Brock Purdy’s contract done … but then what?

It’s not difficult to look at the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason to-do list and find their top priority.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract, which means he’s eligible for an extension this offseason. Ironing out that contract to ensure the satisfaction of their franchise quarterback and giving themselves a firm understanding of where they stand with the salary cap has to be paramount for San Francisco.

Pro Football Focus correctly identified Purdy’s contract as the top priority for the 49ers.

Via PFF:

San Francisco had an all-star team of players who found themselves on the injured/reserve list this season. A healthy version of this team is still a likely playoff contender. The question is how many of those players can continue to fit on this team if Brock Purdy signs a massive extension.

If Purdy were to sign an extension in the same stratosphere as Jordan Love‘s or Trevor Lawrence‘s, it’s possible they won’t be able to re-sign pending free agents such as Charvarius Ward or Dre Greenlaw. Deebo Samuel could also be an expendable piece on the trade market. Incoming negotiations with Brock Purdy will heavily influence the future structure of this roster.

While decisions about Greenlaw, Samuel and Ward are all important – they pale in comparison to the gravity of Purdy’s deal.

That got us thinking about what the next biggest priority would be for the 49ers this offseason. There are a few clear frontrunners, but one stands out above the rest when trying to grasp how San Francisco has constructed its recent run of Super Bowl contenders.

The 49ers badly need to overhaul their defensive line. In almost all of their deep playoff runs under head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco had a deep defensive front that was effective at stopping the run and persistently got after the quarterback. That started to wane some in 2023, then they didn’t do enough to fix it in the offseason. In 2024 it became an Achilles heel for their defense all year, especially once defensive tackle Javon Hargrave went down with a season-ending triceps tear in Week 3.

While the offensive line also stands out as an area they need to improve in the offseason, they’ve been able to make do with some patchwork units over the years. That’s not to say they can let the OL go by the wayside. But when lining up what group the team should devote more resources to first, the defensive line comes in first in the group of non-Purdy offseason priorities.

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49ers plan to release former Pro Bowl D-lineman after 2 seasons in SF

The 49ers’ plan is to release Javon Hargrave.

The San Francisco 49ers overhaul of their defensive line is set to include the release of perhaps their best defensive tackle.

General manager John Lynch on Wednesday in his end-of-season press conference told reporters the 49ers are planning to release DT Javon Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation, though they’re open to bringing him back.

Hargrave played in only three games this season before suffering a season-ending triceps tear.

A recent restructure of his deal made the post-June 1 route a palatable one for San Francisco on the salary cap front. Over the Cap had the details on his restructure in December:

The 49ers reduced Hargrave’s base salary from $19.9 million to $2.1 million, dropping Hargraves salary cap number from $28.105 million to $10.305 million in the process. The original cost to cut Hargrave would have been either $24.86 million on the cap or $28.105 million during free agency if using the June 1. This will allow the team to designate Hargrave as a post June 1 release, count for just $10.3 million on the cap during free agency and then have it drop to and have his cap number count for $8.6 million in 2025 if Hargrave is still hurt and defer $17.485 million to 2026.

While it seems counterintuitive to release a quality defensive lineman in the midst of rebuilding a defensive line, this is the reality of the 49ers’ salary cap situation. They’re going to have to cut ties with some good players and it appears that’s what they’re set to do with Hargrave.

The 49ers signed Hargrave to a four-year, $81 million contract before the 2023 season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and played in 19 games and posted 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks with San Francisco.

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49ers should look into signing recently-released Colts DE

The 49ers should take a look at the DE the Colts just released.

There’s a clear problem brewing on the San Francisco 49ers roster.

Depth on the defensive line has typically been a strength for the 49ers during the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era. This year has signaled a departure from that norm with a relatively thin group of pass rushers that features only three proven commodities on the edge.

The matter was exacerbated in the 49ers’ preseason finale when two of those proven commodities, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, went down with knee sprains. Their near-term availability is still in question.

Adding another defensive end was always in the cards for the 49ers, but the two injuries ramps up the urgency for them to make an addition or two on the edge. One potential solution could come via free agency where recently-released Indianapolis Colts defensive end Derek Rivers now resides.

Rivers was the No. 83 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the New England Patriots. A torn ACL derailed his rookie season, and might have derailed his career entirely. He debuted in 2018 and posted 1.0 sacks in six games. Then in 2019 an injury in the preseason ended his year early. He returned in 2020 and played only eight games for New England before getting released. The Los Angeles Rams picked him up for the rest of the 2020 campaign, and he spent 2021 with the Houston Texans.

An injury in training camp two seasons ago ended his 2022 season before it started, and he spent most of the 2023 season on the Colts practice squad. Rivers was only with the Colts for a couple weeks in this year’s training camp before his release.

Any DE the 49ers acquire via free agency at this point is going to have some kind of significant warts. For Rivers it’s that his injury woes have limited him to only 24 NFL games, in which he’s totaled only 3.5 sacks.

San Francisco would be banking on a decent athlete at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds to come in and finally develop under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. Rivers hasn’t really gotten consistent opportunities to play and the 49ers have been willing to take swings on players with some upside. They’d also be able to do so without making a waiver claim since Rivers’ veteran status allows him to avoid the waiver wire and enter free agency.

Perhaps Rivers just won’t ever be an effective NFL player. The 49ers need pass rushing depth though and a former top 100 pick is the type of player they’re liable to take a flyer on in hopes of reaching any remaining untapped potential.

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