49ers Players Set to Become Free Agents in the 2026 New League Year

Santa Clara, CA — As the NFL calendar inches toward the 2026 new league year, the San Francisco 49ers are bracing for a potential roster shake-up. At 1:00 p.m. PST on March 11, a cluster of current contracts will expire, immediately thrusting a contingent of players into the open market.

Per NFL Football Operations guidelines, each expiring deal will convert into one of three classifications: exclusive-rights, restricted, or unrestricted free agency. The distinction will determine how much negotiating latitude both the club and the representatives for the players retain once the legal tampering period opens.

The 49ers’ football operations staff has already begun preliminary evaluations, weighing which pending free agents fit into the franchise’s long-term competitive and salary-cap framework. While the organization has until the deadline to extend offers or restructure agreements, the March 11 timestamp represents a hard stop; after that moment, players are free to field offers from rival suitors unless otherwise tagged or tendered.

Briana Jeannel’s initial survey of the situation underscores the importance of the forthcoming decisions: with playoff aspirations perennially high in the Bay Area, every roster spot carries heightened stakes. The front office must balance experience, special-teams value, and positional depth against market-driven price tags that can escalate quickly once bidding begins.

San Francisco’s approach this winter and spring will offer early insight into how the franchise views its championship window and which role players, spot starters, or established veterans the club believes it can—or cannot—afford to retain.