Does Clelin Ferrell deserve another year with the San Francisco 49ers?

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Clelin Ferrell started his 2025 season with the Los Angeles Chargers but finished with the San Francisco 49ers. He is now set to be a free agent after providing 284 snaps for the 49ers, including 51 during the team's playoff run. Does that warrant him an extension with the 49ers, or should they simply move on?

Will San Francisco 49ers re-sign Clelin Ferrell in free agency?

The cases to keep Ferrell are obvious. First, he is not going to cost much at all. His last contract was for $2M, and he is not going end up with any more than that. He plays inside and outside the way that they like, and Ferrell also finished tied for second on the team in sacks. That is not what the 49ers wanted, but he was only here for eight games, he produced, he costs nothing, and they need depth, so it seems like a no-brainer.

The other side is that Ferrell cannot be treated like someone set to make the roster. The team is already getting Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams back. They need two more rushers to fill out the room, but Ferrell would be an uninspired choice. He led the team in sacks because they were so thin, and that cost them. 

They already saw that if Bosa and Williams go down, Ferrell is not enough, so there is no reason to run it back with him. 

Ferrell had 13 pressures and four sacks in his first five games with the 49ers. In the final three regular-season games and the two playoff games, he had just three pressures. He was nowhere to be found when the playoffs started.

Injuries happen, and the 49ers are going to want to be sure they have the depth to get by after what happened last year. Still, with four sacks, Ferrell may also see himself fitting in on a roster where his job or chances at seeing the field are a bit more guaranteed. He saw with the Chargers how signing with the wrong team can hurt him.

The 49ers can offer Farrell a low-end, non-guaranteed contract, and he can compete with whatever rookies or other names they added into the mix. However, he did not show enough to be locked into one of the top four or even five rushers heading into the 20226 season. It will be interesting to see where he wings up.