Will the 49ers Use the Franchise Tag This Year? The Answer Might Surprise You

The franchise tag window officially opened today, but for the San Francisco 49ers, the odds of them using it are… close to zero.

For those unfamiliar, the franchise tag is a one-year contract that guarantees a player either the average salary of the top five players at their position over the past five years, or 120% of their previous year’s salary — whichever is higher. Expensive doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Players who receive the tag can still negotiate with other teams, but their original team (in this case, the 49ers) gets the right to match any offer. If they decline, the signing team must cough up two first-round draft picks — a price so steep that few teams are willing to pay it.

So, does anyone on the 49ers’ roster actually deserve a tag?

The short answer: No.

Sources close to the team say the 49ers plan to let most — if not all — of their pending free agents test the open market. The reason is simple: None of them are worth the eye-watering price tag.

Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga — three of the most important names set to hit free agency — all rank in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) Top 25 Free Agents. But slapping the tag on any of them would be a risky overpay.

“Ward has the most complete resume of the three, but his inconsistent play throughout 2024 will likely make the 49ers hesitant to commit to such a pricey one-year deal,” wrote PFF analyst Mason Cameron.

Here’s the breakdown, according to ESPN:

• Franchise tagging Ward would cost $20.36 million in 2025
• Hufanga’s tag would be $19.63 million
• Greenlaw’s tag skyrockets to $27.05 million

What about the transition tag?

There’s a slightly cheaper option called the transition tag. It also locks the player into a one-year deal and gives the team the right to match any outside offers. However, if the player signs elsewhere, the team receives no compensation. They lose the player for nothing.

Even with the discount, the transition tag for Ward would still cost $17.2 million. That’s no small price for a team gearing up to hand Brock Purdy a monster contract, potentially making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks.

The Bottom Line:
The 49ers are ready to let their top free agents test the waters. No tags. No chains. It’s a bold gamble — but it could also be a smart one if John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan can work their magic in free agency and find cheaper, younger talent to reload the roster.

This story is far from over, and the real question still lingers:
Will the 49ers’ confidence in their negotiation skills pay off — or will they watch valuable players walk away for nothing?