When the San Francisco 49ers have been healthy over the last several years, they have been one of the NFL’s top teams and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But their core is starting to age, and they need a couple of reinforcements on both sides of the football in order to give themselves a real shot at finally winning their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Many agree that the team’s biggest need this offseason is pass-rushing help. Even if defensive end Nick Bosa, whose 2025 season ended after three games due to a torn ACL, fully returns to form in Week 1 of 2026, the Niners need someone else alongside him who will consistently create pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Bryce Huff, their other starting defensive end, didn’t live up to expectations in 2025, and rookie Mykel Williams isn’t ready, especially after suffering his own torn ACL.
According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, John Franklin-Myers of the Denver Broncos is “a top option” for San Francisco once free agency officially starts on Monday, March 9.
“The 49ers are a sneaky contender for some of the good free agents along the defensive line and at wide receiver,” Fowler wrote. “They want a disruptive interior rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, for example. John Franklin-Myers is the top option there.”
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Franklin-Myers, 29, has been one of the reasons the Broncos have become an elite defensive team over the last couple of years. A fourth-round draft choice in 2018 out of Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, his pro career started off slowly, but he has put up solid numbers in the last two seasons. In 2025, he posted 7.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits and six tackles for loss in 16 games.
Members of Niners Faithful are undoubtedly hoping for a blockbuster trade that would land Raiders star Maxx Crosby, or for the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson to come to town as a free agent. But if the team strikes out on both of them, perhaps Franklin-Myers would be a nice consolation prize.
According to spotrac.com, his projected market value is $7.9 million a year, which would make him affordable while allowing the 49ers to still spend money elsewhere this offseason.
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Wide receiver Jauan Jennings is about to become a free agent, and keeping him will be critical to the team’s chances of being very competitive this fall. In addition, they need to make a decision on star left tackle Trent Williams, whose contract will carry a $38.84 million salary cap hit for 2026.
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