The 49ers’ Austen Pleasants ERFA tender was a one-year, $1.075 million offer that kept the offensive lineman under San Francisco’s control for 2026. Pleasants signed the tender on April 20 after receiving it in February.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Austen Pleasants |
| Team | San Francisco 49ers |
| Position | Offensive lineman |
| Tender | Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA) |
| Tender announced | February 14, 2026 |
| Contract | 1 year, $1.075 million |
| Signed | April 20, 2026 |
| College | Ohio University |
| 2025 games | 15 |
| 2025 starts | 1 |
| 2025 offensive snaps | 125 |
| Current status | Injured reserve |
Pleasants was also an ERFA heading into the 2025 league year, when the 49ers gave him another one-year tender. His increased role that season helped set up the decision to retain him again in 2026.
What Is an ERFA Tender in the NFL?
ERFA stands for Exclusive Rights Free Agent. Under NFL rules, an ERFA is a player with fewer than three accrued seasons whose contract has expired. When his original club offers him a one-year contract at the applicable league minimum, he cannot negotiate with other NFL teams.
That makes an ERFA tender different from restricted and unrestricted free agency. A restricted free agent can negotiate with other clubs, subject to the original team’s rights. An unrestricted free agent with four or more accrued seasons is generally free to sign elsewhere without draft-choice compensation. An ERFA, by contrast, does not have that negotiating freedom once the original club makes the qualifying offer.
For Pleasants, the designation mattered because it gave San Francisco a relatively straightforward way to keep an offensive-line depth player without entering a traditional open-market negotiation.
Why Did the 49ers Tender Austen Pleasants?
The clearest evidence is his 2025 workload.
Pleasants appeared in 15 games, the highest total of his NFL career, and made his first career start. He played 125 offensive snaps during the regular season. The 49ers’ official player records also show 15 appearances and one start in 2025.
His opportunity became especially important late in the season. When Trent Williams was unavailable, Pleasants stepped into the lineup at left tackle. He played 71 offensive snaps in the 49ers’ Week 17 game against Chicago and then made his first NFL start the following week against Seattle.
That does not mean Pleasants had secured a permanent starting job. His 125 snaps represented only a portion of San Francisco’s offensive workload. But it did show that the 49ers had someone with NFL game experience who could be called upon when injuries affected the offensive line.
For a team managing roster spots and salary-cap commitments, that kind of depth can have practical value.
How Much Is Austen Pleasants’ 2026 Contract?
Pleasants’ 2026 ERFA deal is worth $1.075 million for one year. Over The Cap lists the same figure as both his contract value and 2026 salary-cap charge. NBC Sports also reported that he signed the one-year tender for $1.075 million.
The amount aligns with the NFL’s 2026 minimum-salary structure. NFL Football Operations lists the 2026 minimum at $1.075 million for a player with two credited seasons. Credited seasons and accrued seasons are related but are not identical concepts in the league’s free-agency system.
That distinction helps explain why Pleasants could be an ERFA while his contract value reached the two-credited-season minimum.
Pleasants’ 2026 Contract at a Glance
| Contract detail | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 year |
| Total contract value | $1.075 million |
| 2026 salary | $1.075 million |
| 2026 cap charge | $1.075 million |
| Guaranteed money listed by OTC | $0 |
The contract figures are based on current salary-cap reporting from Over The Cap; contract guarantees can differ from the headline value of an ERFA deal.
When Did the 49ers Tender Pleasants?
San Francisco tendered Pleasants on February 14, 2026, shortly after identifying him as one of the team’s exclusive rights free agents for the upcoming league year. Over The Cap reported the tender that day, describing it as a one-year minimum contract worth $1.075 million.
The 49ers themselves had listed Pleasants among their ERFAs in a February 13 free-agency preview. The team explained that ERFAs with fewer than three accrued seasons can be retained when their original club offers a one-year deal at the applicable league minimum.
Pleasants did not formally sign that tender until April 20, 2026. The NFL transaction report recorded the signing, and NBC Sports reported the agreement as a one-year, $1.075 million deal.
So the timeline is simple:
February 13: Pleasants listed as a 49ers ERFA.
February 14: San Francisco tenders him a one-year deal.
April 20: Pleasants signs the tender.
2026 season: He remains with the 49ers under that contract.
Who Is Austen Pleasants?
Pleasants entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Ohio University in 2020, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers’ official biography says he spent time with the Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals before joining San Francisco.
His route to the 49ers was largely built through practice-squad opportunities rather than a long-term starting role. San Francisco signed him to its practice squad on December 17, 2024, and he later saw game action during the season.
The 49ers’ current player profile lists Pleasants at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, with Ohio as his college and No. 62 as his jersey number.
What Is Pleasants’ Current Status?
As of September 23, 2026, Pleasants is on the 49ers’ injured reserve list. San Francisco included him among the players placed on injured reserve when the team finalized its initial 53-man roster, with a designation that he could return.
That means the ERFA contract question has already been settled: Pleasants signed the tender and is under contract with San Francisco. His immediate issue in September is roster availability rather than free-agent status.
The 49ers’ official roster currently lists him among their reserve/injured players while still identifying him with the team.
What Does the ERFA Tender Mean for the 49ers?
In practical terms, the tender gave San Francisco another season of contractual control over a player who had developed into experienced offensive-line depth.
It also avoided the uncertainty that comes with unrestricted free agency. The club did not have to compete with other teams for Pleasants’ services after making the ERFA offer. NFL rules specifically provide that an ERFA who receives the required one-year minimum tender from his original team cannot negotiate with another club.
For Pleasants, the 2026 deal also represents his third season associated with the 49ers after joining the organization late in 2024. His career had previously included several practice-squad stops, making the extended opportunity in San Francisco a significant change in continuity.
Will Austen Pleasants Be a Free Agent Again?
His current contract covers the 2026 season. Over The Cap currently lists his next free-agency classification as ERFA in 2027, although that status can depend on how his accrued seasons develop under NFL rules.
For now, the important point is that the 2026 ERFA process is complete. The 49ers made the tender, Pleasants signed it, and he remains a San Francisco player.
What the 49ers’ Austen Pleasants ERFA Tender Means
The headline is straightforward: Austen Pleasants signed a one-year, $1.075 million ERFA contract with the 49ers for 2026. The agreement followed a career-high 15-game season in which he made his first NFL start and provided depth at tackle.
His current injured-reserve status means his availability is temporarily limited, but it does not change the contract outcome. San Francisco retained him through the ERFA system, and Pleasants remains under contract with the team for the 2026 season.
FAQs (text + Valid FAQs schema JSON-LD)
What is the Austen Pleasants ERFA tender?
The Austen Pleasants ERFA tender is a one-year contract offered by the San Francisco 49ers under the NFL’s exclusive-rights free-agent rules. Pleasants signed the 2026 tender for $1.075 million.
How much is Austen Pleasants making in 2026?
Austen Pleasants’ 2026 contract is worth $1.075 million for one year, according to Over The Cap and NBC Sports’ reporting on his signed tender.
Is Austen Pleasants still with the 49ers?
Yes. Pleasants signed his 2026 ERFA tender with San Francisco on April 20, 2026. As of September 23, 2026, the 49ers list him on injured reserve.
Source list
- San Francisco 49ers: 49ers Players Set to Become Free Agents in the 2026 New League Year, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- NFL Football Operations: Types of Free Agents, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- Over The Cap: 49ers Tender OT Austen Pleasants, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- NBC Sports ProFootballTalk: OL Austen Pleasants signs tender with 49ers, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- San Francisco 49ers: Austen Pleasants, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- San Francisco 49ers: 49ers Sign an Offensive Lineman and Linebacker to the Practice Squad and Other Moves Ahead of Week 16, Access Date: September 23, 2026
- San Francisco 49ers: 49ers Announce Moves for Initial 53-Man Roster, Access Date: September 23, 2026
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