The San Francisco 49ers had a strong finish to the 2025 season. Seven wins in their last nine games in the regular season, and also won in the Wild Card Round against the Philadelphia Eagles. But two losses stood out, both ugly and both against the same team: the Seattle Seahawks.
The reigning Super Bowl champions exposed a real vulnerability in the 49ers’ offense. The Niners did finish fourth in PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric last season, but there’s definitely room for improvement. As things stand, a 36-year-old veteran could be the perfect pick for them.
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The 49ers surrendered to a 41-6 hammering in the Divisional Round against the Seahawks. In that game, the Seahawks pressured Brock Purdy on 39.4 percent of his dropbacks.
It was a systematic dismantling of San Francisco’s offensive line, and it exposed a real vulnerability up front.
Now, heading into 2026, that vulnerability has gotten worse. Starting guard Spencer Burford is gone, as he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. The interior of the offensive line needs attention, and Kevin Zeitler could be a great candidate for that role.
The 14-year veteran guard is still available on the open market, and according to Matt Okada’s free agency matchmaker piece, he’s a natural fit for the Niners.
Okada called Zeitler “a no-brainer add” for the 49ers, pointing out that San Francisco is a legitimate contender with a clear positional need and more than enough resources to address it.
“At 36 years old, Zeitler is likely headed for another one-year contract, but the Niners are contenders with a need — and $44.9 million in cap space — so it makes a lot of sense,” Okada wrote. “Unless they’re comfortable rocking with Dominick Puni and Connor Colby as their starters, Zeitler is a no-brainer add.”
According to PFSN’s Player OL Impact Metric, Zeitler posted an impact score of 76.8 last season, finishing as the 29th-ranked player at his position.
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For San Francisco, that’s almost ideal. They get an experienced, high-performing guard without locking themselves into a long-term commitment. And with $44.9 million in cap space available, the money is absolutely there.
As Okada mentions, the only real alternative would be rolling with Dominick Puni and Connor Colby as the starting guards. That’s a gamble on unproven players for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
It’s worth stepping back and looking at the bigger picture here. The 49ers are in a competitive window. Kyle Shanahan has built something real in San Francisco.
Brock Purdy has proven he can lead this team. But what happened against Seattle in January was a reminder that offensive line protection isn’t something you can take for granted. When the pressure gets through, everything breaks down.
Adding Zeitler would be a direct response to that lesson. He’s a blocker who has held up at a high level well into his mid-30s, and consistency like that doesn’t come around often, especially from someone still available this late in the offseason.
