ClutchPoints
Heading into free agency, the San Francisco 49ers have some serious decisions to make from a team-building perspective, especially when it comes to defense. Will the team prioritize retaining their own players? Or will they look to land some former New York Jets who know Robert Saleh’s scheme?
Unfortunately, all of these decisions may not be the 49ers to make, as, according to Matt Barrow of The Athletic, two of their key free agents may be looking for greener pastures outside of San Francisco: Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga.
“I think the chances are better than not that Dre Greenlaw is gone,” Barrow explained on KNBR. “The same with Talanoa Hufanga.”
A pair of homegrown talents who overcame their draft positions to become legitimate starters for the 49ers D, Greenlaw and Hufanga played key roles for San Francisco in 2023, even if the former didn’t do much in the Super Bowl due to a torn Achilles.
Once considered two of the rising stars of the 49ers’ defense, the presence of Fred Warner, Ji’Ayir Brown, and Malik Mustapha have made the duo expendable if they demand top-of-the-market pay for their on-field contributions. While it would be nice to keep at least Greenlaw, as the 49ers linebacker depth isn’t ideal, Barrow is preparing fans for the worst-case scenario, as it might just come to pass.
"I think the chances are better than not that Dre Greenlaw is gone… My sense is that Dre Greenlaw wants the opportunity to run his own shop." @mattbarrows told @Adamcopes & @dpapapops that Dre Greenlaw may have taken his last snap as a Niner pic.twitter.com/wN8uv3MkhM
— KNBR (@KNBR) February 12, 2025
Why do Greenlaw and Hufanga potentially believe they can find better deals outside of San Francisco than in the Bay Area next month? Well, probably because talent evaluators like ESPN’s Matt Bowen believe the duo are two of the top free agents on the market.
Coming in at spot 15 on Bowen’s big board, Greenlaw is expected to draw interest from teams looking for a top linebacker on the interior.
“Greenlaw played in only two games this season (Weeks 15-16) after tearing an Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII. At full strength — which he is expected to be in 2025 — he has the traits to make an impact in any defensive scheme as an off-ball defender,” Bowen wrote. “Greenlaw is a rangy linebacker with the pursuit speed to track ball carriers and the coverage awareness to close throwing windows. He had back-to-back seasons of 120-plus tackles in 2022-23, and he added 1.5 sacks last year.”
Coming in just a few spots lower at 22, Bowen believes Hufanga could draw interest from teams due to his flashy measurables, even if he isn’t a clear fit in every scheme in the NFL.
“Injuries have limited Hufanga to 17 games over the past two seasons,” Bowen wrote. “However, the former All-Pro is a...
