Jan. 28, 2026, 9:15 p.m. PT

The San Francisco 49ers will have a rash of free agency decisions to make with 27 players set to hit the open market in some capacity. Of those 27, six will be restricted free agents which means they come with more complications than their unrestricted counterparts.

San Francisco has a handful of options with their six RFAs − defensive end Robert Beal Jr., defensive tackle Kalia Davis, defensive lineman Tarron Jackson, cornerback Chase Lucas, DE Sam Okuayinonu and tight end Jake Tonges. Players with fewer than four years of service time hit the RFA market instead of becoming unrestricted.

They can place one of three RFA tenders on them, or refuse to tender the player which would make them an unrestricted free agent.

The three RFA tenders are first-round, second-round and right of first refusal. Each one is a one-year deal worth varying amounts of money. Other teams can sign players who are tendered to an offer sheet, but the 49ers will have the chance to either sign that player to a long-term contract or let them go to the team that gave them an offer sheet.

A first-round tender is the most expensive and means if another team signs that player, they would owe the 49ers a first-round pick. First-round tenders are projected to be worth $7,893,000 according to Over the Cap.

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A second-round tender works the same way at a lower price. OTC projects the second-round tender to come in at $5,658,000.

The right of first refusal tender is the cheapest and comes with no draft compensation if the player signs an offer sheet elsewhere. This one is a one-year, $3,453,000 deal.

Players have until April 17 to sign an offer sheet with another team. The 49ers have until April 22 to exercise their right of first refusal on players who sign offer sheets.

Here’s where things stand with all six 49ers RFAs and a prediction on how the 49ers handle each:

DE Robert Beal Jr.

The 49ers selected Beal in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. Despite a slew of intriguing tools, he never found his footing in the NFL and managed only one sack in 25 games across three seasons. This was a make-or-break season for Beal with so much turmoil at the DE spot and he was unable to carve out a regular role which puts his future with San Francisco in jeopardy.

Prediction: Non-tendered

DT Kalia Davis

There’s an interesting case to make for Davis sticking around after a strong 2025 season where he started all 17 games at defensive tackle. His production wasn’t great at 28 tackles and 0.5 sacks, but having a reliable veteran in a young group of defensive linemen may be valuable for the 49ers. The problem is Davis only played in 16 games across his first two seasons and with a pair of young DTs aiming to nail down starting jobs in 2026, his role (and contract value) could quickly diminish.

Prediction: Non-tendered, but re-signed to multiyear deal

DL Tarron Jackson

Jackson suffered a scary neck injury during training camp that ended his season. He spent all of last offseason with the 49ers which may give him the inside track to returning and competing for a roster spot again in 2026.

Prediction: Non-tendered, but re-signed to one-year deal

CB Chase Lucas

2025 was a good year for Lucas who played in 15 games as a special teams contributor and backup nickel corner. He put together a really nice preseason and parlayed that into a regular roster spot. He also came up with a couple of big defensive plays to help San Francisco close victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons. It would make sense that the 49ers want to bring him back as a depth piece in the secondary.

Prediction: Non-tendered, but re-signed to one-year deal

DE Sam Okuayinonu

Injuries thrust Okuayinonu into a larger role than the 49ers envisioned for him in each of the last two seasons. This year he wound up starting 12 of the 15 games he played after logging his first three career starts last year. He also posted 3.0 sacks for the second consecutive season. It’s easy to see where Okuayinonu is a quality depth piece in a deep defensive end rotation.

Prediction: Non-tendered, but re-signed to one-year deal

TE Jake Tonges

George Kittle’s Achilles injury makes Tonges’s restricted free agency a lot more interesting. He’s the only player likely to earn an RFA tender after notching 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games this season. Going into 2025 he had zero catches in his career. The 49ers may address their need atop their TE depth chart via the draft, but Tonges is a 26-year-old in-house option who could provide a lift in the passing game while Kittle recovers from the injury he sustained in the wild card playoffs.

Prediction: Right of first refusal tender, re-signed to multiyear deal

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