San Francisco 49ers sign DE William Bradley-King

The 49ers' signing of William Bradley-King earns a B− Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a low-cost depth addition that carries minimal downside risk during the offseason runway to regular season. At $1.005M on a one-year deal, Bradley-King enters as a replacement-level edge defender on a veteran-minimum salary — the kind of flier teams deploy to build competitive depth without cap strain or long-term commitment. For a franchise sitting at 12-5 and holding a playoff seed, this move prioritizes roster completion over star-power acquisition, which is the right calculus at this stage of the calendar. The CVI grade acknowledges that $1M deals rarely generate surplus value through outperformance; what matters here is whether he contributes meaningfully on the edge rotation without absorbing cap resources that could have been deployed elsewhere. With no guaranteed money locked in and a straightforward one-year structure, San Francisco maintains full flexibility to pivot if Bradley-King underperforms in training camp or the preseason, making this a low-friction gamble that fits a team already in playoff position seeking to round out its defensive line depth ahead of September's kickoff.