The San Francisco 49ers are in their offseason mode after losing in the divisional round to the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 17. As a result, the next phase for the Niners’ front office is finding ways to improve the team that can get them to another Super Bowl and win it.
One area of concern this season, especially after the season-ending injury to Nick Bosa, was the 49ers’ pass rush. San Francisco’s pass rush only recorded 20 sacks this 2025 season, per Pro Football Reference. As a result, this area needs improvement this offseason.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan predicts that the 49ers will look to add another pass rusher to pair with Bosa, rather than hope that only his return will bolster that sack total.
“I think the defense will play much better next year,” Lee Chan said in her video posted on YouTube on Jan. 18. “You’ve got Mykel Williams and Nick Bosa who will come back, and that is going to make a huge difference. I do think they target another pass rusher. They’ve got to get another guy in there to play opposite Nick Bosa to get pressure on the quarterback.
“Mykel Williams is, I think, more comfortable on the inside. They need to get an exterior guy. Bryce Huff was good, but he’s not supposed to play as many snaps. I think he’ll be better when Nick Bosa is out there with him, and he only plays 15 snaps a game, maybe 20.”
49ers Could Lose Jauan Jennings in Free Agency
Nonetheless, while the Niners could use free agency to find that complementary pass rusher to go with Bosa, they could be losing a wideout in mid-March. 49ers’ Jauan Jennings is a free agent and can test the open market.
Ahead of free agency opening up in a few weeks after the Super Bowl, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco shared the latest regarding Jennings’ future with the 49ers.
“[The 49ers’] top free agent is Jauan Jennings, but there’s no guarantee that Jauan Jennings will be back on the team after the sides could not come to a contract resolution on a long‑term extension before the season,” Maiocco said on his YouTube channel on Jan. 18.
“You know, the numbers that I heard that Jauan Jennings and his representation were asking for—I don’t fault the 49ers, and I can see why there wasn’t a long‑term extension signed.
“So now that he is in line to hit the open market in mid‑March, the team can have an idea of what other teams value him, and then the 49ers can play off of that. Now that didn’t work out so well with Dre Greenlaw… But Jennings is definitely somebody the 49ers would like to have back.”
George Kittle Injury Update
Moreover, Maiocco also shared the latest on George Kittle, who hopes to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in the wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Kittle’s return is a little bit tenuous just because of the nature of the Achilles injury, and you know, will he be ready for Week 1, there’s definitely a possibility,” Maiocco added. “Talked to a doctor, an orthopedic surgeon, who said it’s very possible that he could be back when the season starts.”
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