The San Francisco 49ers are coming off of a disappointing 2024 campaign, finishing the season with a record of 6-11, finding themselves in the unfamiliar surroundings at the very bottom of the NFC West.
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Although the Niners did end up with No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the team is facing a relatively complicated offseason that begins with contract extension negotiations with quarterback Brock Purdy.
But that's really just a piece of the puzzle, given the free agency status of two key defensives players in linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga.
In the case of Greenlaw, all signs seem to be leaning towards a departure.
The 27-year-old Greenlaw, who's coming off a tear to his left Achilles tendon during Super Bowl LVIII that led to just two starts in the 2024 season, appears to be on his way out according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows:
"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
"I think the chances are better than not that Dre Greenlaw is gone," Barrows told KNBR in San Francisco. "I think the fact that he only played a half, essentially, in 2024 actually works in the 49ers favor ... But my sense is that Dre Greenlaw wants the opportunity to run his own shop, the way that [former 49ers LB] Azeez Al-Shaair did with the Texans did this past season."
Barrows went on to say that Greenlaw wants a chance to "strike out on his own," noting the Washington Commanders as a possible suitor given the presence of Adam Peters, the current GM in D.C. and the person who drafted Greenlaw in 2019 while in San Francisco's front office.
As it stands, judging by the vocal 49ers fan base across social media platforms, the glimmer of hope appears to be leaning on Greenlaw signing a one-year "prove it" type of deal.
Which, while a nice idea on its face, is probably pretty far from reality unless the market for impactful linebackers narrows up quickly once the free agency negotiating window officially opens on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
