The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, putting on a defensive show to slow down K.C.’s offense while backing it up with a stellar offensive output of their own.
In short, they did exactly what the San Francisco 49ers have failed to do in their last two Super Bowl appearances.
Because of their poor overall season in 2024, the Niners have a lot of work to do to get back into contention, which will include taking advantage of their 11 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft and using their salary cap space in free agency wisely.
There will be plenty of places to go with when free agency begins, including small upgrades at wide receiver should they release Deebo Samuel, but also along the offensive and defensive lines and elsewhere on the roster.
One place to look is the now-defending champions and the short-but-notable list of free agents they might lose this offseason.
Taking a look at that list, there’s no guarantee all of those players will be available, but the Eagles are heading into the offseason with just over $18 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap, which means they’ll have some choices to make.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few possibly-soon-to-be former Eagles whom the Niners should look into stealing once free agency begins in March.
EDGE Josh Sweat
There’s a case to be made that Josh Sweat could have won the Super Bowl MVP, a difficult thing for a defensive player to do unless he racks up counting stats and turnovers.
No matter whether he was recognized as such or not, Sweat had a monster Super Bowl, tallying up 2.5 sacks, six tackles, and three additional quarterback hits as he and the rest of the Eagles’ defensive line made Patrick Mahomes’ life difficult in New Orleans.
This wasn’t terribly indicative of Sweat’s production throughout the 2024 season, who had eight sacks and 41 tackles in 16 games for Philly. But the former Florida State pass rusher has been fairly consistent during his seven seasons with the Eagles, averaging just over six sacks a season, including a career-high of 11 in 2022.
But the 49ers need bodies on the edge outside of Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd, who was good but not great in his first season in San Francisco last year, and Sweat could be an excellent in a part-time role the Niners.
The question is both whether Sweat would want that kind of role and if the 49ers would spend decent money on a rotational guy (outside of playing 71% of the snaps in 2023, Sweat’s averages are closer to the 50% mark for his career).
OTC suggests a $10 million AAV is what Sweat could be looking at this offseason, but with teams always looking for pass-rushing help, that number could go higher. Sweat will be 29 just after free agency starts, so age may be a factor here, but Floyd did just get two years for $20 million with $12 million guaranteed a year ago at 33 years old.
LB Zack Braun
Another guy to watch out for is All-Pro linebacker Zack Braun.
Braun secured a one-year deal with the Eagles after four mediocre seasons in New Orleans, making just $1.6 million in 2024, with the rest of his $3.5 million coming to him over the next few seasons via void years in the contract.
And then he exploded onto the scene, finishing 2024 with 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception, five forced fumbles and one recovery, along with four passes defended. His player earned him that aforementioned All-Pro spot (next to 49ers’ linebacker Fred Warner), a Pro Bowl berth, and a fifth-place finish for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The 49ers obviously have one star at linebacker, but it seems like their second star, Dre Greenlaw, might be on the way out the door if he finds a long-term deal on the market this offseason. That would leave Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune, and Jalen Graham as possible Greenlaw replacements on the roster.
San Francisco could opt to draft another linebacker to add to the group, but free agency could be an option as well.
The question here could be whether teams believe that one All-Pro season is enough to make Braun a giant, life-changing contract offer in free agency.
If someone does, then the 49ers probably have bigger fish to hook. If not, they might be interested in adding Braun to their ranks on a reasonable deal.
OTC, for the record, has Braun’s AAV at the total number he got from Philadelphia: $3.5 million. But, as is always the case, it only takes one team to believe the linebacker is worth a bigger deal for his market to explode.
DT Milton Williams
If there is an obvious place where the Niners need to spend some money outside of their own building, it might be defensive tackle, a position they’ve struggled to find highly productive players to fill since they traded DeForest Buckner in 2020.
To be fair, they tried to do so via the draft that year with Javon Kinlaw, who was too often injured and didn’t pan out as a first-round draft pick. They also snapped up a former Eagles defensive tackle in 2023 when they gave out a four-year, $81 million (with $40 million guaranteed) to Javon Hargrave.
Hargrave played one full season as a Niner, a strong one that featured seven sacks and a Pro Bowl berth, but then survived just three games in 2024 and is expected to be a post-June 1 cut this offseason after an in-season contract restructure.
There’s always a chance Hargrave could return, but at 32 years old, it probably makes more sense for the 49ers to spend that money on another player who can impact the middle of the defensive line.
Enter Milton Williams, who will turn 26 years old in April and is coming off a stellar performance in the Super Bowl (two sacks, four tackles, a forced/recovered fumble) and an overall strong season as a rotational defensive tackle (Williams played 48% of the Eagles’ snaps in 17 games).
All said (including the playoffs), Williams had seven sacks, 16 tackles (nine for loss), and two forced/recovered fumbles. He’s not likely to be a dominant every down player, but he has proven that when he is on the field, he is a force to be reckoned with who could change the face of any defensive line he’s a part of.
Williams is the kind of player that the 49ers should be going all out to sign this offseason and if OTC’s valuation is on point then it should come at a decent cost (they predict just $1.2 million AAV).
Either way, this feels like the type of move the 49ers should make and be willing to splash the cash in order to make it happen.
Williams would help improve their defense as both a run defender and part-time pass rusher, something the Niners clearly need a lot more of in 2025.
