A 49ers Wake Up Call

If you grew up in the Bay Area, chances are you are a 49ers fan and aware of how their most recent season unfolded. For the Niners, the NFL season has come to a merciful end, finally concluding what has been called one of the most underwhelming seasons of all time. After reaching either the NFC Championship game or Super Bowl in each of their last three seasons, their record of 6-11 was not what coaches, players, or fans were looking forward to. Many have turned to injuries as the primary factor in derailing this season, but there also appeared to be fundamental issues from the get-go. The defense struggled throughout the year despite the stellar personnel on the roster. The offense surprisingly never seemed to get into a consistent rhythm and had very little success across the board. And, in typical 49ers fashion, the special teams were a mess all season long. But how will they recover from this disappointing year? What changes need to be made among the coaches and on the roster? What areas of the team need the most improvement? And how much longer can they prolong their Super Bowl window?
Now, when a team goes 6-11, there are obviously going to be personnel issues that need to be addressed. For example, the 49ers have already removed both their special teams coordinator, Brian Schneider, and defensive coordinator, Nick Sorenson. After three seasons of abysmal special teams performance, many were surprised it took the 49ers this long to fire Schneider. Meanwhile, Sorenson only managed to survive one year before being fired early this January. However, the 49ers’ defenses have generally had a higher standard for the last decade or so, which explains the quick decision to move on from Sorenson. A poor pass rush and coverage unit resulted in the defense giving up 25.6 points per game on average this season, tied for third worst in the NFL. This comes after holding opponents to just 17.5 points per game on average last season, which placed them as second-best in this category. Looking forward, the 49ers hope to reunite with their previous defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, who moved to the Jets in 2021. If they manage to secure a deal with him, it could help bring this struggling defense back to its former glory. A familiar face would make the adjustment rather easy for the defense and ensure a smooth transition.
On the roster, difficult choices are likely to be made as to who’s in and who’s out. In this offseason, 49ers fans could potentially see the team parting ways with stars such as Deebo Samuel, Javon Hargrave, and Charvarius Ward. For Deebo, it all comes down to whether or not he’s been productive enough to hold value for the 49ers; unfortunately, he hasn’t. A logical move for the 49ers would be to trade Deebo for a late-round pick and instead build around their three core receivers, George Kittle, and their running backs. However, it seems like both Deebo and the 49ers are content with their arrangement, which keeps him under contract through next season — so we might see one more season with Deebo in red and gold. Hargrave’s situation, however, seems to be much more perilous. General manager, John Lynch, revealed that the 49ers plan to release the star defensive tackle sometime during this offseason. When Hargrave came over from Philadelphia two seasons ago, it seemed like the 49ers had finally found their replacement for DeForest Buckner, who departed after the 2019 season. Unfortunately, his first season saw underwhelming production in his run-stopping abilities, and his 2024 campaign was cut short by a torn triceps in just the 3rd week. Now it seems that the 49ers may look to the draft in search of the anchor defensive tackle they’ve been searching for.
Charvarius Ward’s situation is unfortunate. Just a season ago, he was regarded as one of the top defensive backs in the league, and now he is described as “old” and “washed up.” The 49ers recently signed Deommodore Lenoir to a 5-year, $89 million contract, indicating his new status as their number-one cornerback. Ward’s departure could be a mutual decision, however. He now says that being in California “just brings up bad memories.” This statement came after the tragic loss of his 23-month-old daughter, Amani Joy, which likely also contributed to Ward’s struggles this season. Many more personnel issues will be dealt with throughout the offseason, but these aforementioned will remain some of the most pressing and crucial ones.
Going forward, the 49ers will need to draft well, make good signings, restructure contracts, and adjust schemes if they want a chance at winning the Super Bowl in the future. Brock Purdy’s contract remains one of the most important topics for the 49ers if they hope to succeed in the future. Purdy will most likely have to be willing to take a team-friendly contract when he signs because the 49ers simply cannot afford to pay him top-dollar. If he’s not, that could pose significant issues as the whole team has and will continue to rely on Purdy’s lower salary in order to pay other players. If everything goes exactly right for the 49ers this offseason, they may have a chance of three more years of Super Bowl contention before the team needs to be reevaluated.
Overall, despite this season being disappointing for many, it may help to serve as a wake-up call for the organization. It was clear the defense was becoming weaker and weaker with every season that passed, and the offense was beginning to rely too heavily on Christian McCaffrey. If Shanahan gets back to distributing the ball to one of the numerous stars on the offense and the defense can get back to its hard-nosed intimidating nature, the 49ers just might have several chances at a ring that has eluded them for so long.