San Francisco 49ers
Record: 6-11 (Worst in the NFC West)
Coach: Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco has been the home of the 49ers for the past 78 years. During that time they have been one of the most storied franchises in NFL history. 5 Super Bowls, 8 NFC Championships, 3 MVPs all help to bring this team to the 2024 season. For the past few years the 49ers have been hunting the elusive 6th Superbowl title. From the 2019 to the 2023 season San Fran made the Conference Championship game 4 out of 5 years and the Super Bowl twice in that span. Yet the Niners seem to fall short every single year.
The 2024 season was supposed to be their year. They were just three points from a title the year prior and now looked to return to the playoffs with a fully reloaded roster and a fresh start. Only one thing stood in their way, themselves. For years the Niners have been associated with two things, success and injuries. The 2024 season was the most egregious example of this in recent memory. The IR was stacked with 19 players by the end of the year. This included their starting, backup, and third string running back, their number one receiver, their starting DT and LB. This squad was ravaged with injuries from the jump and it only got worse as the season went on. This mixed with a step back from Purdy and the fourth worst scoring defense in the league led to a 6-11 record.
Though this season was particularly rough for San Fran fans there are lots of reasons to have hope for 2025. First of all this is no normal 6-11 team. Beyond the injuries the team played extremely well. They finished the year as a top 5 offense in yards per game and and a top 10 defense in yards per game. They had a 1000 yard receiver (George Kittle) and almost had a second in Juwaun Jennings but he fell just 25 yards short. Even though arguably their best player in Christian McCaffery went down, their backup Jordan Mason was phenomenal before he got hurt. Even then their fourth stringer Isacc Gorendo looked like a potential star. Beyond that the team has all of free agency and the 11th pick in the draft to add on to their roster.
First the Niners need to bring back some of their guys. The key free agents include Dre Greenlaw, Chavarious Ward, Javon Hardgrave, and Talanoa Hufanga. Any of these would be massive losses for the San Fran defense, but unfortunately they might be losing at least two of them. Ward has been reported to be leaving the Niners due to the trauma he underwent in the San Francisco area with the loss of his daughter Amani Joy at the age of 1. Dre Greenlaw posted a cryptic photo of his “Last block party” with his neighbors. Even more troublesome the Niners released Hardgrave with hopes to bring him back on a more team friendly deal but there is no guarantee he returns.
Currently the front office has some decent cap space to make things happen. They sit at around 55 million in cap space which is 15th in the NFL. This means they could get a few of their guys back and still have some wiggle room for a potential move. Their positions of need are currently the offensive line, edge, and cornerback. There are some solid signing candidates out there like corners Byron Murphy Jr, DJ Reed, and Carlton Davis as well as offensive lineman Brandon Scheirff and Dan Moore. The Niners should look to grab one of these players off the market and hope to fill the rest of the gaps in their roster through the draft.
The Niners currently hold the number 11 pick in the first round and frankly I think there is one route that makes sense above everything else and that offensive tackle. At this range they’ll be in position to get either Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr or LSU’s Will Campbell, who are the two best tackle prospects in this draft. There are of course other options like Tennessee EDGE Will Pierce Jr or ECU corner Shavon Revel Jr. The Niners could also look to move back with a team trying to catch a falling prospect or maybe someone who wants to jump the Cowboys for Ashton Jeanty. Either way they are in a great spot to make the most of their draft pick and propel themselves to a much better 2025.
I feel more optimistic about this 49ers team than anyone in the top 10. It’s possible that with a few resignings and a good draft we could see this squad back in the playoffs where they belong.
