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One Late Free Agency Move the 49ers Must Avoid

The 49ers cannot make this move this late in free agency.
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch before the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch before the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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The San Francisco 49ers have conducted themselves well since the beginning of free agency by using it to address their needs.

Too many teams make the mistake of chasing overpriced and overrated players. It ends up hurting them in the following season(s). You can't say that about the 49ers with their signings so far.

However, there is a chance they can still do that. There is one late free agency move they can make that will be foolish.

49ers must avoid this move

Joey Bos
Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa watches the offensive line on the field during second half action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov 16, 2025 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's signing Joey Bosa. The 49ers wanted to make that move happen last year in free agency before the Buffalo Bills outbid them.

Reuniting Nick Bosa with his brother Joey is a dream of theirs, and I'm sure the 49ers' marketing team would love it as well. However, they need to refrain from adding him to their team.

According to NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan, Bosa is not willing to take a discount to sign with the 49ers. He doesn't care to team up with his brother at the cost of forfeiting cash.

That's not shocking at all. He jumped at the chance to play for the Bills once he was offered more. Plus, it's how he's been throughout his career from the moment he was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers.

If the 49ers want to pair up Joey with Nick, they will need to cash him out. They must not do that despite having ample salary cap space. Even if it is just a one-year deal with his money off the books next year.

He is not worth cashing out on. Bosa is a solid player, but his name carries more weight than his actual gameplay now. He's also an injury liability.

There isn't much sense in adding him. Yes, the 49ers need an edge rusher opposite Nick with Bryce Huff retired. But signing his brother Joey would be out of desperation.

That is what bad teams do in free agency. They act out of desperation and spend so much to address a need that it hurts them.

The 49ers wouldn't be matching the value of what Bosa brings to the field, and that's assuming he can even consistently be on the field. The odds are that he's not.

It's best if the 49ers look in another direction at edge rusher. Leave the dream of having the Bosa brothers play together to nothing more than that.

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE SANCHEZ

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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