The San Francisco 49ers fell well short of their lofty expectations in 2024 as they slumped to a 6-11 season, and will obviously be targeting a return to the kind of the form that saw them make three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl in the three seasons prior.
While Fred Warner is optimistic they can do just that in 2025, pointing to their previous experience of doing just that in 2020 — when a 6-10 season was followed by a 10-7 campaign and a run to the NFC Championship Game in 2021 — he expects the challenge to be harder this time around.
Speaking on his podcast 'The Warner House', San Francisco's All-Pro linebacker said: "There is a couple things I would say. One, obviously, in the past, we've had down seasons. 2018, my rookie year was not a good year, but then we all go on to play a Super Bowl the following year. 2020, another down year, a lot of injuries, and we go back to the NFC Championship Game.
"So I say that as the first part to say that is encouraging to know that it's been done before, but I say that with an asterisk next to it, because the last thing that you can do, or last thing that you want to do, is say to yourself, 'Oh, we've done it before. We'll do it again.
"You can't go about it that way, because if you look back at those moments, especially the one I think of is in 2021 we started that season after having a losing year in 2020, we started 2021 3-5. And I remember that feeling of going into Chicago, where, if we lose that next game, we're 3-6. You want to talk about some heat on that derriere? That's it.
"So anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is, yeah, even though it's been done before, it's going to take even more of an effort, even more of everything to say you have a chance at getting back to the 49er standard like we talked about. So it's going to be, to be quite frank, it's going to be miserable. And that's exactly how you want it."
It already has been an offseason of great change for the 49ers, with their defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator being relieved of their duties.
With replacements still to come in, the 49ers facing the possibility of losing several free agents this offseason including the likes of Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, and San Francisco likely being set to hold 10 picks in the 2025 draft, the makeup of the staff and the playing personnel may look very different by the time the Niners return for OTAs.
That is a big reason why Warner is correct in his belief that it will be harder to return to the standard in 2025. New players who aren't used to that standard will arrive, and the players will face the task of meshing with new coaches — save for the potential exception of Robert Saleh if he returns for a second spell as defensive coordinator — with whom they aren't familiar.
With all the turnover in the NFL year after year, it is extremely difficult to be as consistent as the 49ers have been under Kyle Shanahan. After a 2024 season derailed in part for a succession of injuries, most will expect the 49ers to return to their best in 2025. The harsh reality, however, is that a bounce back is no given, and Warner's acceptance of that truth is reflective of why his leadership is so valuable to the Niners.
