As the 49ers move toward the 2026 season, a few familiar faces may be running out of time in San Francisco. The roster still has plenty of recognizable pieces, but several veterans are set up in ways that make this year feel like a crossroads.
Dre Greenlaw looks like one of the clearest cases. The 49ers brought him back after the Denver Broncos let him go, and the hope was that lining him up again next to Fred Warner would help unlock the version of Greenlaw that left San Francisco the year before.
But the Achilles injury changed things, and he has not been the same since. With the 49ers also hoping one of Nick Martin or Jaden Dugger can eventually take over a starting spot next to Warner, this feels like Greenlaw’s final year in red and gold.
The same kind of countdown may be building around Mac Jones, even after he gave the 49ers a boost as their backup last season and revived his career in the process. San Francisco kept him around, but Kurtis Rourke showed enough progress from his rookie year to his second that the path is starting to open for someone else. Rourke will be in his third season in 2027 and should be ready to compete for the backup job, which leaves Jones on track to move on without much resistance.
At cornerback, Renardo Green is also staring at a contract situation that does not point toward a long stay. He is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the 49ers have not shown any signs of extending him.
The team has a new coordinator, and while Raheem Morris appears to be high on Brown, the lack of a deal says plenty. If Brown plays well, he could draw big money on the open market and choose to leave.
If he struggles, the 49ers may not want to keep him. Either way, this could be the end.
Jake Brendel is another veteran on the clock. He is entering his fifth season as the 49ers’ starting center, but he will be 34 years old this year and is in the final season of his contract.
The problem for San Francisco is that there are not many obvious alternatives right now. At the same time, the team cannot keep leaning on Brendel forever, and it needs to begin identifying who can step in next year.
Then there is Kyle Juszczyk, a player who has been one of the offense’s defining pieces for years. Even so, the 49ers already flirted with moving on from him a few years ago, and his impact has not quite matched what it once was.
He will be 35 this year and is also heading into the last year of his deal. The 49ers might let him go.
In Other News...
49ers Defensive Line Just Took A Tough Hit Before Week 1
The 49ers defensive front took another hit just before Week 1, losing Sam Okuayinonu to a broken foot and an immediate trip to Injured Reserve. The injury is serious enough to require surgery, and it removes a depth piece from a group that already figures to be under constant pressure to stay healthy and productive over the opening stretch of the season.
Khalid Kareem was brought in on the practice squad to help fill the vacancy on the defensive line, giving San Francisco another body as it adjusts its early-season rotation. For a unit that leans heavily on its front to set the tone, Okuayinonus absence leaves the 49ers having to sort out how much they can ask from the rest of the group while waiting for one of their edge options to get back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Shanahan Just Touched A 49ers Rams Dynamic Fans Know Too Well
Kyle Shanahans reaction to the 49ers season-opening trip to Australia sounded a lot like the way he has long talked about the NFC West road environment in Los Angeles: the label on the schedule does not always match the feel in the stands. Even with the Rams listed as the home team for the overseas game, Shanahan made it clear that San Franciscos fan base has a way of showing up where it matters, and he expects plenty of red in Melbourne too.
For the 49ers, the bigger issue is less the optics than the edge case built into any game played on another continent. Shanahan pointed out that every week matters across an 18-week season, and a unique opener like this one can shape the competitive balance before the schedule really settles in. It is a reminder that for a team used to leaning on its own crowd and routine, this one already feels a little different from the usual division setup. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Got A Week 1 Rams Update That Changes Things
Sean McVay has given the 49ers a clearer picture of what they can expect in Week 1, and it points to a familiar problem being available from the start. Puka Nacua, who has been dealing with psoas soreness, is expected to play when the Rams open the 2026 season against San Francisco. For a 49ers defense that will be trying to set the tone early, the news matters because Nacua has quickly become one of the most important pieces in Los Angeles passing game.
The matchup gets an added wrinkle because it will be played in Melbourne, Australia, the first NFL international game in that country. There had also been some questions around possible discipline under the leagues personal conduct policy, but Nacuas off-field situation is not expected to affect his Week 1 availability. So instead of a short-handed opener, the 49ers now have to prepare as if they will be seeing one of the Rams top targets right away on a stage far from home. [Read more 🡒]