PALM BEACH, Fla. — General Manager John Lynch delved further into the 49ers’ offseason strategy Monday, predicting that the team — which restrained itself during the primary phase of free agency — will again finish near the top of NFL spending rankings after it completes a large contract with quarterback Brock Purdy.
“I think we’re going to get the deal done,” Lynch said of ongoing negotiations with Purdy’s camp. “That’s what I believe. … The cash spending is down. The year’s not over. If and when we get our quarterback done, we’ll probably [again] be a top-two or -three cash spending team.”
The 49ers have been among the league’s most lavish spenders ever since Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan came aboard in 2017 but have changed gears so far this offseason. The past month, in fact, has seen the 49ers amass the largest free agency spending deficit in NFL history. The team is now ranked No. 16 in salary cash spent for 2025 — $53 million short of the No. 1 Minnesota Vikings.
But that’s where Purdy’s potential contract is the missing piece that should eventually complete the puzzle. The QB will likely receive enough Year 1 money, primarily through a large signing bonus, to vault the 49ers back near the top of that spending list.
And Lynch did not rule out the possibility of a relatively quick finalization of Purdy’s contract. Back in January, the quarterback said he’d prefer for a deal to be done by the offseason program, which starts in the middle of April.
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“There’s motivation on both sides,” Lynch said. “I don’t think it’s too optimistic. I understand why Brock wants that. We’ve just got to find that right place for both sides. I would love nothing more [than a quick contract resolution].”
While the 49ers’ spending pullback makes sense from an economic standpoint — the team must streamline its financial blueprint in anticipation of the massive looming uptick in price at quarterback — Lynch has championed the potential football benefits that can come with a greater emphasis on the cost-controlled NFL Draft.
“We were 6-11 — no matter how we got there, that’s embarrassing,” Lynch said. “I don’t ever want to be 6-11 again. The draft is an important part of fixing that.”
The 49ers last season ranked terribly in several key metrics, including run defense EPA (No. 29), average receiver separation (No. 32), and special teams (No. 32). Those languishing performances were indicative of an aging and injured roster that could certainly benefit from the hunger of a proper youth infusion. The 49ers, who own a league-high 11 picks in April’s draft, made numerous moves in March to set the table for one. Their actions are not unprecedented. Maneuvers included the release of veteran defensive linemen Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd and are presumably aimed to capitalize on what Lynch thinks is a notably deep draft class of D-linemen.
“We still have a lot of Hall of Fame-worthy players,” Lynch said. “There’s a tremendous core that we can go be really competitive with and go add some young players to. It will be exciting for our roster and necessary.
“I think it’s a good recipe when you add to our core of established stars with a draft class like we had last year. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to infuse youth, and hopefully with youth comes health into our roster.”
The 49ers hope that Brandon Aiyuk, the receiver who rode a sensational 2023 to a lucrative 2024 contract extension before tearing his ACL and MCL in October, is a big part of that desired return to health in 2025. Although Lynch declined to elaborate on a return timeline, he said the 49ers are “pleased” with Aiyuk’s progress in rehab. Lynch said Aiyuk visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the knee surgery in November, for a checkup last week that drew “good reviews.”
This weekend, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the injury has mostly killed outside trade interest in Aiyuk, who’s due a $22.9 million option bonus from the 49ers on Tuesday. That money will lock into the team’s salary-cap picture on a five-year proration, effectively making a 2025 trade financially unfeasible.
“I expect Brandon to be a part of us,” Lynch said, adding that the 49ers have no regrets about the $120 million contract extension they awarded the receiver in August. “We love Brandon Aiyuk as a football player, and we did when we drafted him, and we’re excited to move forward with him.”
Here’s more from Lynch’s 25-minute sit-down with Bay Area reporters, plus a 49ers-related nugget from the AFC coaches’ breakfast. Shanahan will speak at the NFC coaches’ breakfast Tuesday morning, then 49ers owner Jed York will conduct a media session of his own.
• Lynch brought up the 49ers’ 2026 salary-cap situation when discussing the team’s spending restraint so far this offseason.
“As of right now, we’re over the cap by a significant amount in ’26,” he said. “So a lot of these moves are set up for that. We’re just trying to keep a healthy fiscal situation.”
The 49ers currently have $245 million of liabilities against the 2026 salary cap. The exact limit for that season has not been set, but it’ll almost certainly be higher than 2025’s $279.2 million cap. It’s possible that Lynch is already factoring Purdy’s potential new deal and other expected expenditures, such as a contract extension for star tight end George Kittle, into his appraisal of the 2026 situation.
• Even Lynch was taken aback by just how aggressively other teams pursued ex-49ers in free agency.
“I knew we had a really good roster, but I didn’t know our swing tackle would make $15 million on the free agent market,” Lynch said, referring to Jaylon Moore, who signed on to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ starting left tackle. “It’s flattering that the league saw our roster like that, the amount of money that left. It’s not fun, because we’d always been very aggressive in free agency.”
• The 49ers were aggressive in their efforts to retain one player: Dre Greenlaw. They offered the linebacker more money than the Broncos did; Denver ended up signing Greenlaw. Lynch and Shanahan even made an 11th-hour visit to Greenlaw’s house in Texas, but the linebacker preferred to join Denver’s No. 1 defense and be the centerpiece there. Fred Warner, of course, has a grip on that role with the 49ers.
The 49ers, exercising caution after Greenlaw managed to play only 35 snaps in 2024 as he returned from an Achilles tear, didn’t usurp Denver’s offer until very late in the process.
But that aggressive act alone, nestled in the midst of such notable restraint elsewhere, verified the 49ers’ affinity for Greenlaw. At February’s Pro Bowl, edge rusher Nick Bosa said that returning 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was “adamant” about the team re-signing Greenlaw, and Lynch later confirmed the linebacker was high on the 49ers’ wish list.
“He’s a needle mover,” Lynch said Monday. “There’s not many needle movers.”
But ultimately, Greenlaw signed with the Broncos for $10.5 million annually. He joined former 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga in Denver.
“That was a big get,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “We felt excited about that. Those two guys are tone-setters in how they play.”
Said Lynch: “We had a good discussion with [Greenlaw]. He made a decision. We respect that decision. We’re grateful to Dre for all the great work he did with us, and we wish him the best.”
• Lynch confirmed that new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer was behind the signing of long snapper Jon Weeks, who’s replacing Taybor Pepper at the position. Weeks is 39, and, though age is relatively irrelevant at long snapper, the irony of that signing has generated some jokes in the 49ers’ building.
“We’re trying to get younger, and we sign a 39-year old long snapper,” Lynch said with a laugh.
• Lynch said the 49ers will look to improve the offensive line through the draft, although he made it clear that the team is higher on right tackle Colton McKivitz and center Jake Brendel than a vocal contingent of social media.
“That’s something where I don’t follow the X narrative on how our guys are,” Lynch said. “We evaluate our players and we think we’ve got a pretty steady group. Now, when Trent Williams is down, you’re not going to be quite as good.”
Williams, the star left tackle, is expected back at 100% for 2025 after fighting through an ankle injury in 2024.
• The refrain of Lynch’s session: avoiding injuries in 2025.
“We had a great roster last year, but we were very injured,” Lynch said. “The key is to get back and stay healthy. We have a bunch of draft picks this year and next year to replenish our team with youth.
“We’ve got to make the draft choices count. There’s slots we’ve got to fill with those guys. It’s daunting, exhilarating. I like our process. We’ve refined it over the years. The draft is the best representation of our organization coming together for one purpose.”