Aaron Banks will be a free agent this offseason and his replacement already could be on the 49ers’ roster.

Spencer Burford appears to be the favorite to start at left guard in 2025 barring an unexpected investment in the position. The 49ers generally don’t splurge on guards which is one reason they probably won’t re-sign Banks — starting offensive linemen are expensive on the open market.

Burford didn’t start for the 49ers this season, but he did start 29 regular season games at right guard from 2022 to 2023. Keep in mind, he played left tackle in college and he’s still just 24 years old, so the transition to guard wasn’t always a smooth one for Burford. He didn’t always play full games when he was the starter — the 49ers often rotated him with a veteran. Then Burford injured his hand last offseason and lost his starting job to Dominick Puni.

Now Burford has an opportunity to start at left guard, and the 49ers might be inclined to give him the job considering they’ll have to pay him $3,325,000 this season. That’s a lot of money to do nothing. The 49ers probably want him to play and earn his salary.

Burford is entering the final year of his contract and probably will sign elsewhere when he becomes a free agent in 2026. So the 49ers could draft a guard to replace Burford down the line. But I would expect Burford to be in the 49ers’ starting lineup Week 1.

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