{"id":796693,"date":"2026-03-06T18:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/796693\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T18:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:03:14","slug":"predicting-the-fate-of-13-free-agents-for-the-49ers-who-stays-who-goes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/796693\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the fate of 13 free agents for the 49ers: Who stays, who goes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The negotiating period for NFL free agency has begun. Cuts and trades<\/a> are happening already as teams rework their rosters. The San Francisco 49ers could have plenty of roster turnover during the next couple of weeks. Today, we\u2019ll go over each unrestricted free agent and determine whether the team will bring them back.<\/p>\n

We have a list of each free agent on the 49ers here<\/a>. Let\u2019s get into it, going in order by their current average salary per year.<\/p>\n

Yetur Gross-Matos – 28 -$9M<\/p>\n

Gross-Matos\u2019s contract voids this offseason. He was supposed to be an underrated signing and a pass-rush specialist. Injuries limited Gross-Matos to 502 snaps in two seasons.<\/p>\n

When you can\u2019t point to a signature moment or a player\u2019s play, it\u2019s easy to let them walk. Gross-Matos\u2019s contract was affordable. The idea of bringing him in as an interior rusher made sense, but we never saw his full potential.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no reason to bring back Gross-Matos, regardless of the change at defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let him walk<\/p>\n

Jauan Jennings -29 – $5.9M<\/p>\n

Jennings has $18.5 million in career earnings. He has an opportunity to make that in 2026. Jennings was a valuable contributor in each of the 49ers\u2019 playoff runs. In 2024, he was robbed of a 1,000-yard season. Nine touchdowns this past season highlight what Jennings should bring to his next team.<\/p>\n

In my mind, it\u2019s best for both parties to turn the page. Jennings should look to cash in for potentially the final time, while the 49ers should look to pivot from the type of wide receiver Jennings is in their scheme. It was a positive run with Jennings, but the time has run its course.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Jennings tests the market and gets paid more than the 49ers were ever willing to offer him<\/p>\n

Jordan Elliott – 29 – $3.5M<\/p>\n

Elliott did his job by holding the fort down at defensive tackle while rookies Alfred Collins and CJ West got used to the physicality of the NFL. Elliott played well in his role.<\/p>\n

The 49ers don\u2019t need another Elliott-type run-stuffer on the roster. Those snaps should exclusively go to Collins and West moving forward. Because of that, it\u2019s difficult to see the Niners bringing Elliott back, unless they are looking for him to remain as the veteran presence in the defensive tackle room.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let him walk<\/p>\n

Spencer Burford – 26 – $2.7M<\/p>\n

What a ride it\u2019s been for Burford. The former starting right guard turned backup left tackle turned left guard has experienced more than your typical rookie. Had Burford played left guard during his tenure with the team, we might be discussing him in a different light.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the same issues came to light at left guard when it mattered the most for Burford as they did when he was playing right guard in the playoffs. Burford is a good-looking athlete with positional flexibility. That alone makes him an intriguing depth option.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d bring him back to be the swing backup offensive lineman on the left side to back up whoever the Niners plan on starting at left guard. He\u2019ll continue to practice at both left guard and tackle and dress on game day.<\/p>\n

Verdict: Re-sign for the veteran minimum<\/p>\n

Jason Pinnock – 27 – $2.2M<\/p>\n

Pinnock was a Robert Saleh guy. He started the season for the 49ers until Malik Mustapha was ready. Pinnock allowed 81.3 percent of his targets to be completed. Four of those 16 targets resulted in touchdowns. Pinnock also missed 20 percent of his tackle attempts. Other than that, it was a good year for him.<\/p>\n

We can all agree that the 49ers can stand to upgrade at safety. Ji\u2019Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle remain on the roster. That can be your depth and special teams players.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let him walk<\/p>\n

Kevin Givens – 29 – $2.05M<\/p>\n

Another player whose time with the Niners has likely run out is Givens. He\u2019s been around since 2019, which is hard to believe. Givens was limited to 110 snaps in 2025 and only 177 in 2024 after injuries.<\/p>\n

Kudos to Givens, an undrafted free agent, for lasting this long in the league. But as an undersized pass rusher, the 49ers should be able to address that in free agency, the NFL Draft, or both.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let him walk<\/p>\n

Luke Gifford – 31 – $1.8M<\/p>\n

Gifford led the Niners in special teams snaps and tackles last season. Gifford made enough of an impact on those units to deserve another contract.<\/p>\n

Raheem Morris will likely want a better athlete at linebacker. Gifford was able to play that in a pinch, but proved he couldn\u2019t be relied on in coverage. That\u2019s OK. That\u2019s where Dee Winters and Nick Martin come into play.<\/p>\n

Understanding that Fred Warner doesn\u2019t play special teams and that Tatum Bethune is coming off a groin injury, bringing back Gifford makes sense for multiple reasons.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers re-sign Gifford to another minimum deal<\/p>\n

Kendrick Bourne – 31 – $1.76M<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still hard to believe that Bourne is 31. It\u2019s also tough to fathom that he played 53 percent of the snaps this past season. Obviously, the player off the field and the character will always be somebody that you want in your locker room. But what you do on the field over a large sample size should be enough to make this an easy answer.<\/p>\n

What Bourne did against the Rams and Bucs in back-to-back weeks was one of the best performances for the 49ers this past season. When you add up what he did in every other game, he falls short of those 142-yard outings.<\/p>\n

The Niners need to get younger across the board, and wide receiver is no different if they\u2019re determining whether to give Bourne another contract. His play in the playoffs was subpar. Bourne was not on the 49ers during Week 1. It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let Bourne walk<\/p>\n

Bringing back Moore might not be as black-and-white as it seems on the surface. Do the 49ers want to re-sign a player with little to no value on offense? Moore had a handful of electric returns this past season and went on a run that rivaled Tedd Ginn. However, that run had its dry spells, as you\u2019d expect from most returners.<\/p>\n

When the 49ers needed a wide receiver, they couldn\u2019t turn to Moore. Can that change with an offseason to learn? Maybe. But we also have his history with the Chiefs and why he was traded as a second-rounder on a rookie contract in the first place.<\/p>\n

The 49ers could draft a wide receiver with returning experience, or rely on either Jacob Cowing or Jordan Watkins to be the returner in 2026 and save them a roster spot. That makes the most sense when you\u2019re looking at the way to get the most out of your wide receiver group in 2026.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let Moore walk<\/p>\n

The 49ers had high hopes for Bartch, basically handing him the starting left guard spot. Ignoring his injury history was bound to catch up to the team. Sure enough, the injury bug bit Bartch in September, and then again in the second half to put him on the Injured Reserve.<\/p>\n

How can you bring a player like this back?<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let Bartch walk<\/p>\n

Brian Robinson Jr. – 27 – $1.2M<\/p>\n

Robinson Jr. bailed the 49ers out when they entered the season without an answer behind Christian McCaffrey. It was telling that Robinson Jr. went multiple games with five or fewer carries, despite the heavy workload from Christian McCaffrey. Robinson Jr. didn\u2019t offer much in the passing game and left enough meat on the bone as a runner where you can feel like you can get that kind of production elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Jordan James and the free agent\/draft pick the team brings in will make up the top three running backs next season.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers let Robinson Jr. walk<\/p>\n

Thomas Morstead – 40 – $1.2M<\/p>\n

The 49ers were wise to pivot from Mitch Wishnowsky in 2025 after injuries limited him to an average of only 43.2 yards. Unfortunately, Thomas Morstead\u2019s production wasn\u2019t much of an upgrade. Morstead\u2019s 43.6 average was 31st in the NFL. His net of 36.8 was tied for last.<\/p>\n

It may have felt like Morstead was better than those numbers, but that\u2019s because the offense didn\u2019t punt as much. Keeping the band together would make sense if Morstead produced like a top-flight kicker. However, he did not.<\/p>\n

Still, I can see the Niners giving Morstead a contract and another year, even if it\u2019s not something I agree with.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers re-sign Morstead to a one-year deal<\/p>\n

Eddy Pineiro – 31 – $1.1M<\/p>\n

Pay that man. Do the 49ers have a choice? Speaking of saving seasons, the 49ers went from releasing their kicker after Week 1 to not having their kicker miss another field goal for the remainder of the season. Well, one, but it didn\u2019t feel like it.<\/p>\n

Pineiro was excellent in every aspect for the Niners. How much are they willing to pay him? Pineiro should ask to be paid like one of the five highest-paid kickers because he was one in 2025. Paying Pineiro $5 million per season doesn\u2019t seem like an overpay. For the peace of mind he provides, it might be a steal.<\/p>\n

Verdict: The 49ers end up paying Pineiro above market value<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The negotiating period for NFL free agency has begun. Cuts and trades are happening already as teams rework…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":796694,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,7,6,1161,252,52326,2624,2623],"class_list":{"0":"post-796693","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-49ers","8":"tag-49ers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-san-francisco","12":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","13":"tag-san-francisco-49ers-free-agency","14":"tag-sanfrancisco","15":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116183551515413554","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=796693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/796693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=796693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=796693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=796693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}