The San Francisco 49ers added several veterans in free agency last offseason who helped the team go 12-4, make the playoffs and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round.
However, there were also a few free-agent signings who didn’t make the most positive impact throughout the 2025 season.
Advertisement
Among those was tight end Luke Farrell, who Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker identified as their worst signing of the year.
«Farrell was awarded a three-year contract primarily based on his blocking prowess, but that didn’t entirely carry over in his first season with the 49ers,» Locker wrote. «The ex-Jaguar allowed two sacks on 36 pass-blocking snaps, and he was outsnapped by rookie tight end Jake Tonges by the end of the year. Farrell’s contract wasn’t necessarily monstrous, but his play didn’t seem to correlate with the value granted.»
Farrell, 28, signed a three-year, $11 million deal last offseason, and while he appeared in 17 games, he caught just 11 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
San Francisco could’ve used a tight end to step up while George Kittle was dealing with injuries for a chunk of the season, but it was Tonges who did that, not Farrell. Even though the 49ers still need help at the position with Kittle expected to miss most of (if not all of) the year, Farrell’s still a cut candidate with a post-June 1 designation in 2026.
More 49ers: Packers expected to hire 49ers defensive position coach
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: TE Luke Farrell named the 49ers’ worst signing of 2025
