Welcome to 32 teams in 32 days. To get us through the offseason, we’ll be examining every team in the NFL, in order of projected 2025 win totals. Up next: the Ravens.
Last year was a nightmare for the San Francisco 49ers.
Entering the year as defending NFC champions, the Niners dealt with a mixture of tragedy, injury and general disappointment. Almost all of their key players missed significant time at some point, including rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall, left tackle Trent Williams, corner Charvarius Ward, running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and receiver Brandon Aiyuk among others.
The result was a disastrous 6–11 campaign and a fourth-place finish in the NFC West. In the offseason, general manager John Lynch began to retool the roster, trading receiver Deebo Samuel to the Commanders while letting linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, guard Aaron Banks and Ward all leave in free agency without clear replacements.
Entering 2025, the 49ers will pin their hopes on better health, a return to form from the newly extended Brock Purdy, and a team that can once again compete for a championship.
What’s at stake this season: Getting back into the inner circle
Even with the aforementioned mass exodus, the Niners have one of the oldest rosters in the league. They also have some stars with a lengthy injury history, including McCaffrey and Kittle, who are the focal points of the current offense.
If San Francisco is going to win a title with this group, the time is now. Williams is arguably the best player on the roster (and the best left tackle in football), but will turn 37 years old later this month. Defensively, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner is still one of the best in the league, but he will turn 29 in November.
The 49ers have the talent to make a deep playoff run, but they will first have to contend with a strong NFC West that includes the Rams and quality rosters in Arizona and Seattle. If they can win the West for the third time in four years, they will have a chance to secure the top seed, something that currently appears to be the domain of the Eagles and Lions.
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s seat is cool right now, with two Super Bowl appearances under his belt, but the heat and pressure will ratchet up with another down season.
Biggest question going into training camp: Can the rest of the front seven step up?
The 49ers still have the elite talents of edge rusher Nick Bosa and Warner, but there are concerns around them.
San Francisco doesn’t have a second pass rusher who can cause havoc. The best bet is rookie Mykel Williams, who was taken out of Georgia with the No. 11 pick. Otherwise, there’s a rotation that includes Yetur Gross-Matos, Bryce Huff and Sam Okuayinonu, all of whom are more lotto tickets than anything else.
If the Niners can’t get a rush beyond Bosa, you can expect him to see ample double teams while a revamped secondary is challenged to hold up time and again.
Sources are saying: George Kittle remains a force in San Francisco
“Old school, do-it-all tight end who takes pride in both parts of the tight end position: blocking and receiving. Something you rarely see in today’s game. Also fun to watch with the ball in his hands.” — former NFL tight end
Breakout player candidate/X-factor: McCaffrey back from injury
The 49ers need McCaffrey to be elite. San Francisco traded away Samuel and Aiyuk is still recovering from a torn ACL. Kittle is 31 years old. If the offense is going to flourish, McCaffrey has to be the do-it-all back that earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023.
Last season, McCaffrey was limited to four games. If he’s not healthy for most of the year, San Francisco is sunk.
Head coach-quarterback tandem ranking: 7
The Niners showed their faith in Purdy this offseason, signing him to a massive five-year extension worth $265 million. While he doesn’t have quite the same dominant cast around him, Purdy still has an abundance of weapons. Meanwhile, Shanahan is an excellent coach and one of the brilliant modern-day offensive gurus. All that’s missing is a Super Bowl ring.
Fantasy pick: McCaffrey and his backup
McCaffrey will be the most significant risk-reward player in fantasy football drafts this season, and it’s not even close. One of the most productive running backs in NFL history, CMC’s career stats put him right there with LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk. When healthy, there’s rarely been a better fantasy running back. The problem is that he’s failed to play more than seven games in three of the past five seasons, and McCaffrey is now entering his age-29 season. If you do decide to draft him, be sure to also draft his backup, Isaac Guerendo, as a fantasy handcuff. —Michael Fabiano
Best bet: Win NFC West (+165) via FanDuel
Everything that could have gone wrong for the 49ers last season went wrong. Injuries, close losses and locker room issues caused them to take a significant step back record-wise, but let’s note they still ranked second in the league in net yards per play at +1.0. Now, they’re healthy and get to play a fourth-place schedule in a wide-open division. I’m willing to bet on them to reclaim the NFC West in 2025. —Iain MacMillan
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 32 Teams in 32 Days: 49ers Can Be Elite If Age, Health Don’t Derail Their Season.
