The Eagles just signed veteran edge rusher Azeez Ojulari to a one-year, $4 million deal. Which begs the question: Why didn’t the 49ers sign him?

The 49ers need an edge rusher much more desperately than the Eagles do. The Eagles already have Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Bryce Huff and Joshua Uche. They’re loaded.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have Nick Bosa and that’s about it. They’re extremely thin at defensive end. That’s because they recently released Leonard Floyd who started 17 games and record 8.5 sacks last season.

Obviously, the 49ers intend to draft lots of plug-and-play defensive linemen next month, but why not sign a cheap veteran as well? Especially one with as much talent as Ojulari.

Like Floyd, Ojulari went to the University of Georgia. Unlike Floyd, Ojulari had the misfortune of being drafted by the New York Giants, which is where he played from 2021 to 2024. And he still recorded 22 sacks in 46 games. Don’t be surprised if his production spikes now that he’s surrounded by quality players for the first time since college.

You’d think the 49ers could have called Ojulari’s agent and made him a slightly better offer, which still would have been affordable. Maybe the 49ers simply weren’t interested in signing a defensive lineman, no matter the price.

Or, mabye Ojulari wasn’t interested in the 49ers. They’re slashing their budget and taking on more than $80 million in dead cap penalties this season so they can be hopefully be Super Bowl contenders once again in 2026. As opposed to the Eagles, who just won the Super Bowl and will be contenders again next season.

Tough to attract quality players when you essentially are punting the season.

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