Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Monday, March 31st, 2025
“As usual at the March meeting, the league will consider a series of potential rule changes to the game itself, including expanding the use of replay assist to correct obvious officiating mistakes, changing the touchback spot on kickoffs, and expanding the legal use of the onside kick. Also, proposals to ban the “tush push,” give both teams possession in regular-season overtime and eliminate automatic first downs on some defensive penalties will be on the agenda.”
Sources: 49ers unlikely to trade Brandon Aiyuk before bonus due
“Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers last year, is due the $22.85 million bonus if he is on the team’s roster Tuesday. Once the 49ers pay that bonus it is expected that Aiyuk would spend the 2025 season in San Francisco, the sources told Schefter.”
Report: 49ers outbid Broncos for Dre Greenlaw, but the linebacker sought ‘fresh start’
“Now with the Broncos, Greenlaw has a chance to step out of Warner’s shadow and establish himself as a defensive leader. His adopted father, Brian Early, offered the linebacker this encouragement: “Hey, man, you stay in San Francisco, you’re Scottie Pippen. And Fred Warner is MJ. Go be frickin’ MJ.”
“And their offseason reset has had that effect. Before free agency, the 49ers had the NFL’s third-most salary cap liabilities ($272.4 million) in 2026. They have since shed nearly $50 million from their 2026 books, paring that number to $223.4 million, moving them from third to 17th in terms of most cap liabilities.
Still, York will be asked if there’s something more than Purdy’s contract and cap space at play. Especially whether any part of this offseason’s pullback is tied to how his money has been spent in recent years.
Lynch noted before the start of free agency that the 49ers needed to slow their cash spending, which is money that comes out of York’s pocket and is different than salary cap dollars. The cap can be manipulated and it’s often done by restructuring contracts to push money into future years. However, signing bonuses that are spread out over the life of a contract for cap purposes are paid up front by owners.
In 2023, York handed Hargrave a $23 million bonus before his disappointing two-season tenure. Last year, before the 49ers went 6-11, York paid a total of $62.98 million in bonuses as part of the extensions for McCaffrey, Williams and Aiyuk, all of whom had subpar, injury-marred seasons.”