SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- As San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch answered questions about the roster at last week's NFL scouting combine, his most interesting response came when he was asked whether he'd been taking trade calls on injured receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
After acknowledging that teams have called him about Aiyuk, Lynch pivoted into a lengthy answer about how much money the 49ers had been forking out to their own players and in free agency over the past five years in an attempt to finally win the Super Bowl.
He indicated that as the 49ers head into the start of the early negotiating window Monday and the new league year March 12, they might have to finally ease off the gas in terms of spending.
"At some point you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate," Lynch said. "You can't just keep pressing the pedal, and I think there's some good that could come out. We need to get younger. I think we were the oldest team in football trying to make a run at the deal last year. And I think it's good to constantly get younger."
The 49ers have 22 players set to be unrestricted free agents and running back Jordan Mason as a restricted free agent. When the new league year opens, the Niners will have a pair of significant roster moves already lined up: the post-June 1 release of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and the trade sending receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick.
When those moves are completed, the Niners will have a little more than $34 million in salary cap space available. That's plenty of room to do just about anything they want, but more than half of the league has greater cap space.
Though they have already taken care of some of their most important offseason business, there's still plenty to do. Quarterback Brock Purdy's contract headlines that list, and although Lynch has said talks with the signal-caller are underway, the GM also indicated that a deal is unlikely to be done before free agency begins.
The same is true of a contract extension for tight end George Kittle, though that deal likely would save the 49ers more cap room they could use to bolster the roster in the open market. Lynch said the 49ers would like to set Kittle up to finish his career with the team, but "timing" will be the most important aspect of an extension.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk could also be in line for a revised contract or, potentially, on the way out. Juszczyk told ESPN after the season that he hopes to stick around and believes there has been no drop-off in his play. He took a pay cut last offseason but is scheduled to count $6,496,750 against the cap this year.
"We're trying to make everything work and [with] some tighter constraints than we've had in the past," Lynch said. "You've got to be smart, and you have to think about long-term health. We always want to be competitive now and into the future, and if you just keep going, going, going, I love doing that. But you also have to step back sometimes and recalibrate, and I think our thought has always been you grow the core and then you can kind of supplement around that. That's probably what we have to do this year."
Those constraints could make retaining many of their own free agents more difficult. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Charvarius Ward are among the key players set to hit free agency.
Greenlaw and Hufanga are the team's priorities, something Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have openly said in the past couple of months. But both players have dealt with multiple injury issues throughout their careers. Greenlaw played in parts of two games last season as he recovered from a torn left Achilles. Hufanga was limited to seven games because of knee and wrist injuries.
The questions that come with those injury histories make it difficult to peg how much either player might get on the open market, and they leave a return to San Francisco at least possible.
"We're not into losing really good players who are unbelievable people," Shanahan said. "... But that's also a very hard challenge, very hard. And that's something that you don't just talk about in one meeting. There are too many things that connect to that. Draft, free agency, roster, years, all that stuff. And that takes weeks, months, to decide."
At the combine, Lynch called Greenlaw and Hufanga "fantastic players" whom the team aims to retain. With Greenlaw, Lynch said the hope was a deal could be struck before free agency begins, but there were no guarantees.
One free agent who will almost certainly get a chance to test the market is Banks, the 2021 second-round pick who has started 43 games at left guard over the past three seasons. Based on how much productive guards have been paid in recent offseasons, Banks' next contract is likely to exceed a price the 49ers would be willing to pay to keep him.
Fellow offensive lineman Jaylon Moore is another player the Niners would like to keep, but he figures to get interest from other line-needy teams.
Ward, meanwhile, went through a grief-stricken 2024 season in which the death of his daughter kept him away from the team and made it difficult for him to continue playing when he returned. He hasn't ruled out a return but also said he has "a lot of trauma in California" that could make re-signing difficult.
Regardless of what happens with their top free agents, the 49ers have needs all over the roster to address.
The offensive and defensive lines top the list, but another linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver will also be priorities. And there is no backup quarterback with NFL game experience under contract. More help at running back could be necessary, too, depending on what happens with Mason, whom the team plans to tender but is still deciding which designation to use.
"Jordan played at a really good level when Christian [McCaffrey] was out, so we'll see where that goes," Lynch said.
Over the past six years, it has been common to see the 49ers make big moves in free agency or on the trade market. They acquired Hargrave and Ward in free agency and traded for left tackle Trent Williams, defensive end Dee Ford and up the draft board for quarterback Trey Lance and Aiyuk.
Based on Lynch's comments about getting younger and the cash constraints the Niners intend to work within, a big trade for someone such as defensive end Myles Garrett or a splashy signing of a top free agent seems unlikely.
But that doesn't mean the 49ers will do nothing.
For example, if the Los Angeles Chargers move on from end Joey Bosa, a Bosa Brothers reunion in Santa Clara would be a real possibility. Wideout Davante Adams is another intriguing option as a veteran upgrade at receiver. Adams is from nearby East Palo Alto, California, and, at 32 years old, could make sense if the price is right.
As Lynch put it, the 49ers will "look at every avenue to become a better team" as they try to strike the balance between a roster reset and staying competitive.
After all, Super Bowl LX next February will be played at Levi's Stadium.
"You've got to always think right now, but you got to think big picture too, which to me in football is always on like a two-to-three-year timeframe," Shanahan said. "... But we always want to be competitive and feel like we have a chance to do that. And we felt that way about five years in a row and we've gone to it twice. I feel like we had very good opportunities to win both of those games and that's the thought process we're going to have every year."