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Nick Wagner
Multiple authors
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With a couple of notable exceptions, San Francisco 49ers Completed their most important offseason roster maneuvering. This included veteran additions in free agency as well as an NFL draft in which the Niners selected eight players, all taken between rounds 2 and 5.
Despite those moves, the Niners still have lingering questions about the receiver Brandon AyukIts future, the starting left guard job, potential safety help and whether the Bosa brothers could team-up.
Here’s a closer look at what the 49ers still have to do between now and the start of training camp in July.
While the 49ers haven’t budged on their desire to part ways with Ayuck, they still haven’t released him.
The Niners expressed hope that they could trade Ayuk and recoup something, even a late-round pick, for a player who was once viewed as a future franchise cornerstone.
According to Niners general manager John Lynch, the thinking was that offseason benchmarks, such as league meetings in March and the draft in April, could lead to some sort of action.
But San Francisco couldn’t find a buyer for Aiyuk or really get traction on a deal. When asked if Ayuck’s seemingly inevitable release at the end of the draft would be imminent, Lynch once again kicked the can down the road.
“There are no new updates right now,” Lynch said. “We’re available. Give us a call. I think it’s prudent to do that. He’s a very talented player. He’s a very effective player in our league. The situation didn’t work itself out here. That doesn’t mean it can’t be revived elsewhere. And we’d be happy to do something with somebody if we get a chance.”
There aren’t too many obvious inflection points in the coming weeks. A logical goal would be to release Aiyuk on June 1 to provide some salary cap relief (his dead money would be spread over two years from that date), but the Niners had the ability to designate him for release after June 1 for nearly two months and didn’t.
Looking forward to playing with Ayuk around the league Washington Commander And the quarterback Jayden DanielsHis close friend. The idea isn’t lost on the Niners, who believe a trade would benefit both sides in that they get value for Ayuk and give him time to transition back to football in Washington’s system.
What’s more, Aiyuk’s position on the Niners’ reserve/left team list could become a reserve/did not report and could result in fines of up to $50,000 per day without counting against the 90-man roster if Aiyuk does not report to training camp. Which means, unless Ayuck doesn’t show up at some point, the Niners can continue to control his rights without paying any money.
For the Niners, such a situation seems like an unnecessary distraction, but as long as Ayuk shows up, they can hang onto him as long as they want.
Who is at left guard?
Barring injury-related uncertainty, San Francisco’s offense has settled 10 of the 11 starting spots. Open job? left guard
In 2025, the Niners rotate into the trio Ben Birch, Spencer Burford And Conor Colby; Of that group, only Colby remains on the roster. While Colby had some good moments, he also struggled at times, which became an offseason question.
As such, the Niners sought cost-effective depth and competition among veterans in free agency Robert Jones And Brett Toth And a fourth-round pick on offensive lineman Carver Williswho played tackle in college but projects to be a guard in the NFL. Based on experience around the league, Jones could be first in line for the job if he proves healthy. He started 17 games for this Miami Dolphins Before that in 2024 A neck injury Last year’s expenses are his.
“He’s going to be competitive,” Shanahan said. “We’ll have a lot of guys there. … When we get to OTAs, hopefully we’ll have a lot of guys fighting for that spot.”
According to Lynch and Shanahan, Toth projects more as an interior swingman who could be a backup center, but he competes. He has started six games in his career, including two at left guard last year Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie, Willis will have the steepest learning curve, but he played in a scheme similar to the Niners in Washington which should help his transition.
What about security?
The 49ers used their eight draft picks to address most of their pressing roster needs. But in a draft with talent at the position, San Francisco overlooked safety, a spot with plenty of short- and long-term questions.
In 2025, the Niners had four safeties — J’air Brown, Malik Mustafa, Jason Pinnock And Brand initials — start at least seven each. Of that quartet, only Pinnock, who played the third safety role in the “Big Nickel” package, departed in the offseason when he signed. New York Giants.
While San Francisco didn’t directly address the safety, it did sign defensive backs Net Hobbs In free agency. Shanahan said he didn’t think of Hobbs as a safety, but it’s reasonable to think he could step into the hybrid role Pinnock occupied last season.
The Niners have young, unproven safety options Derrick Canteen, Darrick Forrest, Jalen Stroman And Patrick McMorrisAlthough they also passed on some well-known draft prospects multiple times with their eight picks.
“There were some people who came off the board,” Lynch said. “We have a team that we really like. But the way the board read, it just didn’t work out. And we love what we’ve been able to add. The work isn’t done.”
On paper, Brown and Mustafa, the duo that played the most together in 2025, should get another shot to win the starting jobs with Seagle pushing for snaps. But Brown is entering the final year of his rookie contract and Mustafa will be extension-eligible for the first time after the 2026 season. Which means the Niners will continue to keep an eye on prospects who can come in between now and the start of the season, and if no one cuts those spots in 2026, safety could become an even bigger need next offseason.
Will the 49ers reunite the Bosa brothers?
In the last two years, the veteran defensive end Joey Bosa The free agent market has been lingering because fans like Joey and Nick Bosa 49ers to join forces.
At a league meeting in March, Lynch said it would “please Mama Bosa” if San Francisco signed Joey, but noted that he did not know if the Niners could afford him.
Since then, San Francisco has signed offensive tackles Trent Williams Restructured defensive tackle, in a deal that lowered his 2026 salary cap number Osa OdighizuwaA deal to create more cap space and more leverage if it eventually moves on from IUCK.
On paper, there is enough money and cap space to add Joey, but the 49ers prefer to roll over significant cap space each year. They have plenty of options at edge rusher, though only Nick comes with a resume like Joey’s. Other options include: Michael Williams, Keon WhiteThird round pick Romelo height, Sam Okweinonu And intriguing undrafted rookies Michael Kamara.
“I would never say never,” Lynch said. “We’ll never close the door on things like that. … He’s a player, but I think we’re in a place where we’re comfortable with what we’ve done.”
If Joey is available by spring, that would at least give the Niners some time to evaluate what they have (albeit without pads) and potentially see the pair of Bosa brothers again this summer.
