SANTA CLARA – The 49ers were mostly inert during free agency this offseason, choosing instead to focus on contract extensions with franchise cornerstones Brock Purdy, Fred Warner and George Kittle, while at the same time shedding salary to get younger following a 6-11 season.
It wasn’t looked upon favorably by a fan base hoping for some star power. There was one exception, and it was a big one in a physical sense. Luke Farrell is not big in terms of name recognition, but he plays big.
Almost lost in the whirlwind opening days of free agency was the team quickly reaching an agreement with tight end Luke Farrell. While throwing others overboard – allowing their own free agents to leave, as well as releasing some under contract – the 49ers extended a hand to Farrell, a 27-year-old four-year veteran with Jacksonville who received a three-year contract with $11 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $20.25 million.
Tight end Luke Farrell was the first and one of the few players the 49ers snapped up when free agency began in 2025. Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group
It was a pretty good chunk of change for a team looking to reduce payroll, especially with the presence of a Hall of Fame candidate in Kittle already on the roster and still in his prime.
“I’ve heard from guys that have been there,” Farrell said of former Jaguars teammates who once played for the 49ers. “I like how they operate and the opportunity to play in this offense with these coaches and players.”
Since he arrived in 2017, the year Kittle was drafted, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has cycled through eight more tight ends – Garrett Celek, Logan Paulsen, Ross Dwelley (he left and came back last year), Levine Toilolo, Jordan Reed, Tyler Kroft, Eric Saubert and Brayden Williams.
None received the kind of financial compensation afforded to Farrell.
“I think having a No. 2 tight end in the NFL is huge,” Shanahan said. “Usually, there’s one guy who excels in the pass game and one guy who excels in the run game.”
Farrell, at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, has just 36 career receptions and has yet to score his first NFL touchdown. But he’s a people mover who operates almost as an extra tackle. Rather than rely solely on angles and leverage, Farrell can actually move the mountains that face him as edge setters or beasts coming on stunts from the interior.
Tight end Luke Farrell, right, works with Isaac Alarcon during a 49ers blocking drill at the club facility in Santa Clara. Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group
“Luke, his (game) tape was very, very impressive,” offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster said. “He literally has an impact on defensive ends. When he blocks or hits one, there’s movement. You see things with him that you don’t see in a lot of tight ends.”
The presence of Farrell, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State in 2021, will put Kittle in the passing game more often as a receiver, either flexed or put in motion, while he takes care of a big percentage of the dirty work along the line of scrimmage.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” Farrell said. “Since I was in college, I’ve just really bought into the team mindset and whatever I can do to help propel the offense forward and the team forward and that’s what my role has been. Also, all I can do on special teams. It’s allowed me to have the career I’ve had so far, and I have a lot of gratitude for it.”
The attention paid to Kittle could result in Farrell’s first NFL touchdown as well as increased opportunities for Brock Purdy for a reliable set of hands as a receiver.
“He’s got unexplored talent in the passing game,” tight ends coach Brian Fleury said.
Which is fine by Farrell.
“I’m always in the mindset of wherever they need me, I’m going to be there,” Farrell said. “I’m going to be where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be there, and that’s as a receiver, too.
Kittle, like Farrell, was a fifth-round draft pick. He was also from a Big Ten school, Iowa, and has morphed from unassuming rookie with close-cropped hair to big-time, big-haired personality on a national scale.
Rashod Berry #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Luke Farrell #89 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after a touchdown during the first half in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Farrell carries with him the same mentality he had at Ohio State, where he was a player simply trying to make a roster at the outset. He didn’t see himself as an NFL player. An excellent student, Farrell’s long-term goal for athletics was staying involved as a physical therapist.
“I was a developmental guy at Ohio State, redshirted, and really didn’t get any significant time until my third year,” Farrell said. “Then it was like, `OK, this is a real possibility.’ Once it became possible, I just wanted to keep doing what I was doing and perform the role they wanted me in. When you have success on a team like that, you’re going to get the exposure.”
Farrell cuts an impressive figure among the position group, and Kittle is excited to see what he brings in terms of physicality.
“I like that he’s a big dude. I’m a huge fan of that,” Kittle said. “He’s got great tape. He’s excited to be here, and I’m excited to get to work with him, too. He’s an experienced guy and has played a lot of reps, so it’s not like you’re teaching a rookie.”
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During the offseason, Farrell attended Tight End University in Nashville, the yearly summit for the position hosted by Kittle and fellow Pro Bowl tight ends Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. Before that, Farrell’s connection to Kittle came in a Zoom meeting during the COVID pandemic.
“He was on because his dad had a connection with Kevin Wilson, who was our tight ends coach at the time. They both coached at Oklahoma,” Farrell said. “George had some down time, and we were just studying a lot of ball and were trying to pick up any skills we could just from film study.
“He hopped on with us, told us what he was about, gave us some of his experience and wisdom, having a handful of years in. (When I signed with the 49ers), he reached out right away and welcomed me.”
San Francisco 49ers tight end Luke Farrell (89) makes a catch next to Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Farrell joins the 49ers, a Super Bowl contender, from a Jaguars team that went 4-13 last season after twice going 9-8. In Farrell’s rookie year, they were 3-14, so he knows what a losing locker room can feel like.
The 49ers, Farrell believes, don’t have the vibe of a team that went 6-11 a year ago.
“If you didn’t know what happened last year, you’d have no idea of their record,” Farrell said. “That’s a testament to the people in the building, and their resiliency and how professional they are. You don’t dwell on the past when you’re looking forward to the season.”
