With a strong focus on the trade market and extending Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers were not too active in the 2025 NFL free agency period. However, even with a modest effort, general manager John Lynch still made a few noteworthy acquisitions.
Given their cap space, the 49ers did not make any headline-worthy signings in free agency. Their big moves instead came in the form of trading Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and releasing Leonard Floyd, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Javon Hargrave. In total, San Francisco released more players than it signed in an effort to hopefully create room for Purdy's extension.
Still, Lynch managed to add eight new faces to the organization. None really shook up the league, but four of them — Jason Pinnock, Demarcus Robinson, Luke Gifford and Richie Grant — were starters in 2024.
The 49ers might lack significant free agency signings, but they will ideally deploy a better roster in 2025. The expected returns of Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, who both missed most of 2024 due to injury, will functionally serve as new additions to the roster. Both players have their own durability and consistency concerns, but there is no doubt San Francisco is most effective with them in the lineup.
Coming off a disappointing six-win campaign in 2024, the 49ers are in desperate need of meaningful improvements. After years of sustained success, complacency and injury woes hurt the team in 2024. With Samuel no longer on the roster, change is inevitable, for better or worse. Many might see the team's lackluster free agency as a letdown, but Lynch had a better offseason than he gets credit for.
Demarcus Robinson is the 49ers' underrated free agency signing
Signing Demarcus Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams was not a move that particularly excited 49ers fans, but it is one that could potentially pay dividends in 2025. In a relatively weak wide receiver class, Robinson was one of the top names on the market in 2025 NFL free agency.
Even without Samuel, Robinson is not expected to slot into the starting lineup right away. He started for the Rams, but the Samuel trade opened up the opportunity for 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, who started four of his 11 games as a rookie. With over 36 percent of his snaps coming from the slot, Pearsall is more likely to fill Samuel's former role.
Still, Robinson provides a speed and deep-threat element to the offense that was not previously available. Though working behind Aiyuk, Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, Robinson will be the team's top deep threat and speed option. While solid as sure-handed targets, neither one of the aforementioned trio thrives in downfield passing sets as much as Robinson does.
In 2024, Robinson played in a similar offense with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. As injuries to Nacua and Kupp often left the offense shorthanded, Robinson responded with a career-high 505 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. While unlikely to repeat that same level of success, his effectiveness in playing with elite pass-catchers made him one of the top downfield wideouts in the league.
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DEMARCUS. CALLS. GAME.
📺: @NFLonFOX | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/GfJ4NqdDle
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 4, 2024
The many similarities between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay have helped them quickly take over the NFL. Shanahan has to be salivating at the thought of Robinson in his offense after watching his film with the Rams.
Demarcus Robinson's fit in 49ers' offense
There are not many ways to replace the versatility of Samuel, but adding Robinson allows Shanahan and Klay Kubiak to open up the 49ers' offense in a different way. If he can work in a similar role to the one he held with the Rams, Robinson will be the best downfield target Purdy will get to work with in his career.
The 49ers have long boasted one of the NFL's best receiver trios but routinely failed to add depth behind them. As such, whenever one of the team's injury-prone weapons suffered a setback, Purdy was often left shorthanded. Adding Robinson is a solid way to give the team a form of insurance, especially with Aiyuk recovering from a season-ending torn ACL and MCL.
In addition to Robinson, the 49ers also signed veteran wideouts Isaiah Hodgins and Russell Gage. The group potentially gives them one of the deepest positional rooms of Shanahan's tenure. Yet, with both Hodgins and Gage coming off listless 2024 outings, neither would be ideal to deploy for more than a handful of snaps per game. In the event of another injury, San Francisco will turn to Robinson.
Coming off the season they just had, it is difficult to tell which version of San Francisco will return in 2025. Either way, Robinson will likely be a much bigger part of the team than it might have initially seemed when he signed with the 49ers in the 2025 NFL free agency period.
