From the franchise-altering trade-up for Trey Lance in 2021 to summer-long contract negotiations with star players, the San Francisco 49ers are no strangers to keeping fans on the edge of their seats, even in the offseason. All of the craziness from past summers was taken up a notch this offseason, with a summer-long negotiation saga with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk finally ending last week when he agreed to a 4-year $120 million extension.
Aiyuk wasn’t the only star with contractual issues; Trent Williams, the best left tackle in the NFL, also made life difficult for President of Football Operations/ General Manager John Lynch. But just like Aiyuk and several other stars, Lynch got a contract done as Williams agreed to a 3-year $82.66 million reworked contract.
Despite all of the craziness this offseason, the 49ers, coming off a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, are still one of the best teams in the league and are once again the team to beat in the NFC.
San Francisco is now entering year eight of the Kyle Shanahan era and is arguably a more complete team than last season after a strong draft and under-the-radar free-agent acquisitions.
After an underwhelming season by the 49ers' defense by their standards under former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, the 49ers promoted defensive backs specialist Nick Sorenson to Wilks’ old position. They also added several key pieces on defense in defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
Although his tenure as a head coach ended horribly with the Los Angeles Chargers, Brandon Staley’s addition to the coaching staff could prove monumental for the 49ers as the Rams’ Staley lead defense ranked first in points and yards allowed per game in 2020. It is improbable that Staley will get another chance at a head coaching job. So, if Sorenson were to depart to become a head coach, Staley would be more than capable of taking over as defensive coordinator.
San Francisco boasts the league’s second-best record since 2021 at 41-19 (including playoffs), trailing only Kansas City at 46-15. With Brock Purdy having a healthy offseason, Aiyuk and Williams back, and George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel not going anywhere, there’s no reason San Francisco can’t overcome a Super Bowl hangover and finally hoist its elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Coaching Staff and Front Office Personnel
- Head Coach and de facto Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Shanahan (Eighth year as 49ers HC)
- Defensive Coordinator: Nick Sorenson (First year as 49ers DC)
- Special Teams Coordinator: Brian Schneider (Second year as 49ers DC)
- Notable Assistant Coaches: Brian Griese (Quarterbacks), Klay Kubiak (Offensive Passing Game Specialist), Brandon Staley (Assistant Head Coach/ Defense), Robert Turner Jr. (Running Backs) and K.J. Wright (Defensive Quality Control)
General Manager: John Lynch (Eighth year as 49ers GM)
Notable Additions
- Free Agency: Leonard Floyd (DE, Bills), De’Vondre Campbell (LB, Packers), Yetur Gross-Matos (DE, Panthers), Joshua Dobbs (QB, Vikings) and Isaac Yiadom (CB, Saints)
- Draft: Ricky Pearsall (WR, Florida), Renardo Green (CB, Florida State), Dominick Puni (OL, Kansas), Malik Mustapha (S, Wake Forest), Isaac Guerendo (RB, Louisville) and Jacob Cowing (WR, Arizona)
- Trades: Maliek Collins (DT, Texans)
Notable Subtractions
- Free Agency: Sam Darnold (QB, to Vikings), Clelin Ferrell (DE, to Commanders), Randy Gregory (OLB, to Buccaneers), Javon Kinlaw (DT, to Jets), Ray-Ray McCloud (WR, to Falcons), Chase Young (DE, to Saints)
- Trades: N/A
- Releases: Arik Armstead
2023 49ers Offensive Team Ranks
- 28.9 Points Per Game (3rd)
- 398.4 Yards Per Game (30th)
- 257.9 Pass Yards and 140.5 Rush Yards Per Game (4th and 3rd)
- 47.5% Conversion Rate on Third Down (3rd)
- 67.2% Red Zone Conversion Rate (1st)
- 18 Turnovers (23rd)
2023 49ers Defensive Team Ranks
- 17.5 Points Allowed Per Game (3rd)
- 303.9 Yards Allowed Per Game (8th)
- 214.2 Pass Yards and 89.7 Rush Yards Allowed Per Game (14th and 3rd)
- 40.9% Conversion Rate Allowed on Third Down (24th)
- 54.5% Red Zone Conversion Rate Allowed (16th)
- 28 Takeaways (7th)
Can Leonard Floyd Elevate the Pass Rush?
Floyd, 31, is entering his ninth season on his fourth team after spending four years with the Chicago Bears, three with the Los Angeles Rams, which included a Super Bowl victory, and one with the Buffalo Bills.
Floyd joins a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. If the 49ers were to get there, Floyd would need to fill a hole that has yet to be filled. Ever since Nick Bosa entered the league in 2019, the 49ers have been searching for a pass rusher who could complement him on the other end. They haven’t been able to do so, as Dee Ford was frequently injured and only totaled 10.5 sacks across three seasons with the 49ers, including the playoffs. The 49ers took another swing last season, trading for Bosa’s Ohio State teammate Chase Young during the season.
Young failed to make a significant impact with the 49ers and only recorded 3.5 sacks in 12 games. With Floyd, the 49ers are hoping that he’ll continue his durability and success. He hasn’t missed a game since 2017 and ranks 10th with 39.5 sacks since the 2020 season, while Bosa ranks fifth with 44.5 sacks. If Floyd keeps up that pace, he’ll finally solve one of the rare issues that’s been plaguing the 49ers since 2019.
Promising Rookie Class
After disappointing drafts in 2022 and 2023, where only three players are expected to be a part of the future (Purdy, safety Ji’Ayir Brown, and kicker Jake Moody), the 49ers struck gold with the 2024 class. While it is still way too early to judge the 2024 class, it’s not hard to envision the class having more impact players than the 2022 and 2023 classes combined. A few rookies will likely be heavily featured in the first game of the season on Monday against the New York Jets.
Puni will likely start at right guard, a significant upgrade from Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano. Puni impressed throughout training camp and preseason, building on an incredible college career in which he didn’t allow a sack in 784 pass-blocking attempts.
While Puni is the only rookie penciled in for a start, Green, Mustapha, Cowing, and Guerendo could see a chunk of playing time as well in the opener. Green will be competing for the third corner spot next to Charvarius Ward and Deommodre Lenoir. If safety Talanoa Hufanga still needs a few extra days or weeks before being healthy enough to play, expect Mustapha and veteran George Odum to get extended looks. Cowing and Guerendo won’t have much of a role on offense right away but could get looks returning kickoffs and punts.
A special shoutout to Pearsall, who, after already missing the entire preseason with injury, got shot in the chest in an attempted robbery in downtown San Francisco. He miraculously came out somewhat unharmed and left the hospital the following day. He will miss the first four weeks,
but anything Pearsall does this year and his career will be impressive.
Another Leap for Purdy?
After getting hurt in the first quarter of the 2023 NFC Championship, the 49ers weren’t sure what they had with Purdy. He looked impressive in the eight games where he was the primary QB after the injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
In those eight games between the end of the regular season and the first two playoff games, Purdy threw 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions and looked better than any quarterback had playing under Shanahan to that point. The question was if Purdy, who would be coming off elbow surgery, would still be the starter even with a fully healthy Lance.
Purdy remained the starter and set the 49ers single-season record for passing yards with 4.280. Even though Purdy’s production dropped off a bit in the playoffs, he pioneered the 17-point comeback in the NFC Championship and put together three go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter and overtime in the Super Bowl. With an entire season of starts and a full offseason, Purdy is poised to take an even more significant leap in his second full year in Shanahan’s offense.
A Young Core is in Place for the Future
Championship windows don’t last forever, but the 49ers are doing better than almost everyone when it comes to ensuring it stays open for as long as possible. During 2011-2014, the 49ers' last Super Bowl window, the door slammed shut in 2014, and the 49ers finished 8-8 and began the five-year postseason drought. This ended Jim Harbaugh's tenure and started the cycle of four coaches in four seasons. While that 2014 team was around the same age as this 2024 team is now, the 2014 team relied a lot more on the veterans on that team to produce.
Even if the 49ers were to have a few down seasons, they have enough good players to make the down period very short and re-open the window.
Some of the notable players 27 or younger on the current roster include Fred Warner, Jauan Jennings, Aaron Banks, Bosa, Aiyuk, Jordan Mason, Purdy, Puni, Moody, Lenoir, Hufanga, Brown and Dre Greenlaw. If the 49ers continue to build through the draft like they have throughout the Lynch/Shanahan era, there’s no reason why this group can’t continue to compete.
The Bottom Line
Even though I mentioned that the 49ers can still be perennial contenders if they play their cards right in the future, this year is their best chance to bring back a Super Bowl to the Bay Area. This will be the last season that Purdy plays on his laughably cheap seventh-round rookie contract before getting a massive payday this offseason.
Purdy’s cheap deal has allowed the 49ers to continue to give deserved money to McCaffrey and Williams and extend Aiyuk. Once Purdy signs his extension, roster sacrifices will have to be made.
This year could be the last chance to win with the current veteran core of Kittle, Samuel, McCaffrey and Williams. If they stay healthy, there’s no reason to count out the 49ers this season.
Defined 49ers strengths
- Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling
- Best RB, TE, LT, LB in the league
- Improved depth across the roster
- Good young core
- Star power
- Pretty much everything
Defined 49ers weaknesses
- Can they trust Jake Moody?
- Staying healthy
- O-Line depth
49ers seasonal outlook
Record Ceiling: 14-3
Record Floor: 10-7
NFC West Finishing Position Prediction: 1st
Team MVP: Christian McCaffrey
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