Let's talk players
 

Looking ahead, we will see some roster turnover. I want to see where we all are on which players to retain and which to let walk. Please refrain from discussing coaches and front office people. We all know everyone's position on those.

I will start with some of the obvious ones:

1. We have to extend Pierce. He is our best WR.

2. I think Buckner retires.

3. Jones should be offered a reasonable 2-3 year contract.

4. Paye and Franklin need to go.

5. I like Ebukam and Gallimore. They should return

6.Our starting CBs should be kept. Ward, Sauce, Walley, and Moore should make a solid unit. I don't care if we keep Mitchell, Jones, et.al.

7. Braden Smith is replaceable.

8. Cross has to be re-signed.

9. The rest of the expiring contracts do not concern me.

10. Kicker should be interesting, with Grupe doing well and Schrader returning.

Thoughts on players?

Agree with most of this. The Jones question is tricky. His recovery to pre-injury form is not assured so the contract length, amount, and details need to be very team friendly.

I agree Pierce has to be resigned

As far as I’m concerned everyone one else is replaceable including Franklin especially in Lou’s defense.

I hope Buck doesn’t retire

Franklin, Cross, Paye, and Braden Smith can all be let go

o


I think that because Buckner did not take his time with his recovery and tried to rush back, he may not want to retire.

o

Pierce has to be extended. He is a legitimate downfield threat. He is also really good at intermediate routes, so a must.

I agree, Buck retires, but there are some young talent replacements in free agency. Look, Buck is Buck and take what I said tongue in cheek, there is no replacing him, just his position.

Our backend is solid if Walley come to what we all think he can become.

Ebukam and Gallimore I am good with keeping. Latu is under his rookie contract and I really think he is going to be a good player. I'm not sure that will ever translate to elite, but sometimes a few "Good" is equivalent.

Smith can go, he is replaceable as we have observed.

Definitely keep Cross with Bynum. I like Bynum's energy and enthusiasm. Cross gets better as it goes.

I still like Spencer. Why was Grupe still available when we needed a kicker? No questioning his leg strength. I saw him hitting some long range shots today in warmups when just him, Rhoades and Roberto were out there.

We have some very nice pieces on both sides of the ball. Need to get real help. As intriguing as Hendrickson is, he is the wrong side of 30 coming off an injury. Crosby has went from I ain't leaving the Raiders to (Rumor) he isn't happy now.

Lots of what ifs this off season. If it is without Ballard I hope it is sooner than later. I suspect if he is not gone by mid February he will be back.

With the cupboards bare in free agency Jones is our best option, hurt or not. I agree 3 year max with a friendly hit.

I think Jalen Travis has held up pretty well which makes Braden Smith expendable.

I’m not sure I’m sold on giving Pierce a huge contract when we have Pittman, Downs, and Tyler Warren already. Seems like a luxury.

Pierce= YES

Buck= If he wants to play, move him so he has a chance and maybe get something in return (we are going to need any young players we can get)

Can't we franchise DJ? If so, go that route.

Paye and Franklin, completely agree. Addition by subtraction with both.

DB's, if Ward plays, then it is worth keeping them all. We really need to be looking for Kenny's replacement. The other cadre of JAG's, agree, who cares.

Smith and Cross can go. Cross gets a lot of credit without his more than fair share of criticism.

Players not on the team:
We have a huge hole at linebacker. Pratt is our best backer and that's not a great thing to say. Trying to stay away from coaches- Lou to me is largely the same guy as Gus- and if he is still here, then we probably don't even try to upgrade the position because he doesn't seem to think LB's are even necessary. Regardless of what Lou thinks, we need better linebackers!

DL- man I don't even know what to say here. We have such a deficit on the edge it is sickening and with no draft picks to work with... no idea how we make any strides in this area.

The only way I see addressing the void on the edge is possibly via trade although even that is unlikely. What talent can we afford to part with? Some might suggest Pittman. I just don’t know. I hope in the third round we can find a good coverage linebacker. Thumpers come a dime a dozen.

Lots of edge rushers in free agency. Some past their prime, some young enough to be a long time fix. Do we have the money? Are they an improvement to what we have? Maybe. We need someone to consistently get to the QB.

I would not be opposed to trading a valuable asset and two 2nd round picks for Maxx Crosby.

Franchise tag for Jones is higher than I would pay him coming off injury.

Well he is mighty pissed off at the Raiders that for sure

NO WAY we franchise tag him

From Grok

Key DetailsThis is the most commonly used non-exclusive franchise tag, which allows the player to negotiate with other teams but gives the tagging team the right to match any offer (or receive two first-round picks if they decline).
The projection reflects rising quarterback market values, with top contracts in 2025 featuring annual averages of $55–60 million (e.g., Dak Prescott at $60M AAV, several others at $55M).
For context, the 2025 quarterback franchise tag was $40.242 million (with the salary cap at $279.2 million). The increase to ~$46M aligns with ongoing cap growth and escalating QB salaries.

Note that exact 2026 tag numbers won't be official until the NFL announces the 2026 salary cap (typically in late winter/early spring 2026), but current projections consistently land around $46 million (sometimes cited as $46.1 million).Regarding Daniel Jones specifically: If his team (currently the Indianapolis Colts) were to consider tagging him in 2026, it would cost this projected amount, though his performance, injury history (e.g., recent Achilles tear), and contract negotiations could influence whether a tag or long-term deal is pursued.

Nobody's going to offer Daniel Jones a contract that may cost them two first round draft picks. Especially when he is coming off Achilles surgery.

Pierce needs to be resigned. Ideally trade Pittman to do it, since he's 29 and on the last year of his deal. I hope you're wrong about Buckner, I assume he will be back and his usual self. I think you can give DJ a similar contract to Baker/Darnold, I might even go with a 4 year deal. Cross is the only other player I would give starter money. Gallimore, Tyquan Lewis, and Germaine Pratt should be given decent offers. The rest can take something close to the minimum or leave.

In external free agency, Jaelan Phillips and Nakobe Dean would be my top targets. Phillips would provide a quality pass rusher across from Latu and Dean would be the best LB on this team since Leonard.

I would consider trading Jonathan Taylor if it meant getting a bona fide pass rusher.

Raiders have a pretty good RB. I doubt they would want JT. I'm honestly not sure we have a player they would be interested in that we don't already have a need for ourselves.

Not sure why we always collapse at the end of the year. Team building? Scheme/Coaching? Combination of both? We either start off slow and catch on a little to late, or like this year, start well and fully implode. This team definitely has some deep rooted issues that need reset.

Are you talking about franchise tag on Jones? Before his injury, I was on record as saying I would franchise him instead of offering a long term contract. Since his injury, I would not franchise him. I'd offer him a 3 year contract with a very small signing bonus. Salary starts out not very large in year 1, much larger in year two and collossal in year 3. If he comes back strong, great. If he turns into the NY Giants version of DJ, he never gets the year 3 salary.

DJ hasn’t shown enough that I’d tie the team to him long term. He certainly played well most of the time, but we did see the Giants version as well with the turnovers and now injury. There is certainly not enough there to convince me he is the future. He’s also likely the best option at this point. They have to work out a deal that lets them out quickly. Something like the structure you suggest works.

Definitely not going to tag him. That would be around 46m.

I think they will let him test the waters and see what kind of offers and by which team he can sign. Colts could match or beat the offer or let him walk and get a comp pick from it. Which could be as high as a 3rd round pick depending on the amount of a contract

I am very down on JT. He shit the bed the last half of the season when we needed him the most. My biggest bitch isn't his decrease in running-it can happen and is dependent on line play etc. The first half of the season he was pass blocking like Edge used to. A stud. It disappeared as the season went on, to me that is totally on him. Maybe I read to much into this but to me it shows he isn't dog enough when things are going bad. He is a good running back in a league where good running backs count for very little. He is one of the 'leaders' on a team that has had an epic collapse. We could spend his money more wisely elsewhere on a more complete back who can block and run better pass routes more consistently.

pierce I think you need to bring back.


Franklin has to go


I think Buck comes back if he can get healthy


I would like to have cross back but paying 2 safeties may be tough. not sure I would do it. depends on the contract


can we trade Pittman? maybe. I would probably keep him

let Smith walk


I think Jones has to come back and I imagine we can do that on a reasonable contract.

not a lot of money to work with and we have to fix the pass rush. not sure how that is going to happen.

I think it starts like this:

"Hello, hello, is this Chris"

"Yes, this is Chris, I am busy in the weight room flexing in my too tight sport coat and I have a hat try on session immediately after, and then I am flying to the Maldives for 3 months, so I don't have a lot of time- so hurry up, why have you called me?"

"Hi Chris, it's, Carlie. I had security break into your office, they retrieved the pics. For years you have fucking held that shit over our heads forcing us to keep you employed, but no longer- you fucking suck and you are fired".

There are a lot of teams that get far less sacks than the Colts. 49ers being the lowest with 19. We are middle of the pack at 39


https://www.nfl.com/stats/team-stats...s/2025/reg/all

o


And if the great DeForest Buckner does call it a career as Bert Jones did after he broke a bone in his neck in the strike-shortened 1982 season, I would be OK with his decision to retire ...... I'm just saying that I don't think that he wants to retire, as he seemed eager to get back to playing in the 49ers game in spite of the fact that he was clearly not 100% healed.

o

Puck, it is the inability to get pressure or sacks at critical times in the game. We scheme sacs because we have no alpha rusher. That is harder to do against good focused offensive lines. And yes, like everything else, we are middling at this.

By the by, Al Quadin Muhammad has 11 sacks for Detroit this season.

Never thought I’d see the day I’d be pining for the return of Al Quadin Muhammad.

I am moving on from Jones, and going with Richardson, both injury prone, but one is a hell of a lot cheaper than the other. Time for the alleged genius that is Steichen to actually prove how good he is and scheme up an offense that fits Richardson's skill set.

Pierce fits the skill set perfectly with what Richardson can do, and is a must resign, but then needs to be our true No. 1 receiver, who is targeted 8-10 times a game. The 2nd receiver on this team next year needs to be Warren, he needs to be nearing a 100 receptions. I am also fine with cutting Pittman in this scenario and allowing Downs to also flourish. We have the weapons in the pass catching department already. I like Dulin as well, Coleman Owen could also turn into something given a chance.

JT is absolutely a stud, no issues from me, is he a perfect 3 down back, nah, but he is still effing great. Giddens was a huge disappointment, Goodson i don't care one way or the other, same with Abdullah, he played well enough in spot duty, but no huge loss if he wasn't on the roster.

TE's, Warren will improve, and i am happy enough with the depth, not sure i want to mess too much with this.

Offensive line, has actually held up pretty well even with all of the injuries. The starting 5 were one of the top units in the NFL. Having seen Travis play the last few weeks, i am ok with Braden Smith moving on, or signing a low team friendly deal. We need to invest in the draft for a backup interior guy, Tucker isn't good enough.

I am surprised at the love shown here for Ebukam, he has done very little this year. I would clear the decks regards the DE's, Paye, Ebukam and Lewis are all massively overpaid for what they produced this year and i would be moving on from all of them. Latu and JT are good young guys to work with.

The backup interior guys I have been pleasantly surprised with and have no problem with standing pat here. Stewart and Buck have been their usual selves, hopefully they are both back, but we can help them by reducing the number of snaps they have to play next year.

Our LB's are garbage as every down backs. Pratt is worth his money this year as an early down guy, but Franklin makes some splash plays and then whiffs on the next tackle to allow the 3rd and 13 play to be a success for the offense! Everyone else are just scrubs, maybe Carlies has something to work with, but i am not sure Lou agrees.

The defense backs if they are healthy are some of the best in the NFL. Gardner, Ward, Bynum and Cross played well this year. Cross is a player i would like to resign, but i am not sure if he hasn't priced himself out of a contract with the Colts.

You can tag him as a negotiation tool to ensure he doesn't get away and work out an extension. I know it looks like the Colts only have about $50 million of cap space right now, but it's pretty simple to get that well above $100 million without tanking 2027 or 2028 cap space. If the Colts think Jones is the answer, they shouldn't let him get away.

What i would do with each player for next year.

QB's
Jones, move on
Richardson, keep
Leonard, keep
Rivers, move on

RB's
Taylor, keep
Giddens, keep
Abdullah, move on
Goodson, move on

TE's
Warren, keep
Alie-Cox, move on
Ogletree, keep
Mallory, keep

WR's
Pittman, move on
Pierce, keep
Downs, keep
Dulin, keep,
Gould, keep
Treadwell, move on
Owen, keep

OLine
Smith, move on
Raimann, keep
Freeland, keep
Travis, keep
Tenuta, keep
Nelson, keep
Goncalves, keep
Bortolini, keep
Pinter, keep

DE's
Latu, keep
Ebukam, move on
Lewis, move on
Paye, move on
Tuimoloau, keep
Nchami, keep

DT's
Stewart, keep
Bucknor, keep
Gallimore, keep
Adebawore, keep
Johnson, move on
Wormley, move on
Smith, keep

LB's
Pratt, keep
Franklin, move on
Olubi, move on
Ajiake, keep
Carlies, keep
Johnson, move on

CB's
Gardner, keep
Ward, keep
Moore, keep
Hilton, keep
Blackmon, keep
Edwards, keep
Jones, move on
Mitchell, move on
Lammons, keep
Walley, keep

Safety
Wohler, keep
Scott, keep
Bynum, keep
Cross, keep
Lowery, keep
Odum, move on
Thomas, move on

Special Teams
Rhodes, keep
Sanchez, keep
Grupe, keep
Shrader, keep


So from that list i only have 48 guys left. I have too many CB's for the final cutdown, same with both kickers at the moment.

Based on my list, we need a coverage LBer or two as an absolute priority, maybe Hunter Woehler is one of those guys? And at least a couple of DE's, ideally a splash starter, but that is unlikely with the lack of money/draft capital we don't have! An interior offensive lineman, and a tackle to add depth alongside Freeland and Tenuta, depth at RB, and also a veteran backup QB. No idea what Kyler Murray might be expecting if he is cut, he is probably too expensive anyway.

I do think that there is quite a lot of young talent on this roster. A true pass rusher, alongside both Ward and Gardner would make the defense something to be frightened of.

Sure. I agree. But look at the 49ers with 20 less sacks than us and they are looking at the #1 seed. So while it is important. It's not life or death

Obviously I would liek to find another DE but the #1 concern on this team is LB. and not just one

49ers are on another level offensively though, 4 years with the same QB and arguably the best offensive coach in the NFL

Yes they have the QB position figured out. Hell we have a new starting QB and back up QB every freakin yr. Hopefully Jones heals up and can get back to work. Once that happens and AR can keep from setting himself on fire we may be heading in the right direction.

We have a pretty good roster. I give credit to Ballard for going for it this yr. Maybe Jim was holding him back and now the girls say go get what you need


JMO. Pete

Make you wonder how a guy with Purdys talent lasted until the last pick.

Purdy doesn’t have the strongest arm but he has every other trait that makes a quarterback great.

I think scouts in the NFL put way too much emphasis on arm strength.

Now, you can’t have a noodle arm like Ehlinger or 44 year old Rivers, but elite arm strength isn’t the be all end all.

Agree. and I HOPE given time Riley can get close to that. I just don't think he's ready right now. But I will be glad to be wrong.

Sure would solve some problems

No agent will ever agree to give a player’s former team the right to match an offer. The Giants learned that the hard way with Saquon Barkley.

It's done all the time. That is the way Ballard can make sure he is being fair. I think DJ wants to be here.

Barkley did not want to go back to te Giants and had a great opportunity to go to a winner

Fire Ballard at 9 am, and Giant owner John Mara’s plane will be at the airport at noon.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra. Playing the position of QB is 90% mental, the other half is physical. Purdy is a smart QB. I think we've all seen big arm QBs that can't get out of their own way. I still don't know if DJ has it mentally. Hopefully he does. I'm pretty sure AR does not, which is too bad, because if he did, he would be fun to watch. I'm actually excited to see Leonard this week. I'm not expecting much, but I am hopeful. It's what we Colts fans do every Sunday.