NFL Insider Drops Bold 49ers Prediction for 2025

The San Francisco 49ers are in a unique spot heading into the 2025 campaign. After enduring a miserable, injury-plagued season in 2024, the 49ers shed a ton of talent this offseason so that they could sign star quarterback Brock Purdy to a long-term five-year, $265 million contract extension.

As a result, not many folks know what to expect from the 49ers, especially since the NFC West division could end up being quite competitive. While many folks are getting hung up on the number of players who departed from San Francisco over the past few months, one NFL insider, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, thinks the Niners could surprise folks in 2025.

Albert Breer Reveals Prediction for 49ers in 2025

After nearly winning Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs, the 49ers appeared set to go on another deep run last season. Instead, they were destroyed by injuries from the get-go, and they ended up crawling to a 6-11 record. That prompted the front office to clear out some cap space, which was used on Purdy’s aforementioned deal.

While San Francisco moved on from a few key players, they still have a plethora of talented stars at their disposal. Purdy is under center for the long term now, and he’s surrounded by Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk. On defense, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are still leading the way, with a slew of young players being added on that side of the ball throughout the 2025 NFL Draft.

Will that be enough in the NFC West, though? The Los Angeles Rams appear poised to make some noise again this season, and both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are dark-horse playoff contenders alongside the Niners. Breer believes that San Francisco is being overlooked in a sense, as he predicted they will make it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs this year.

“People were talking about this team like it was a ghost ship coming out of the offseason and that’s not the case at all,” Breer said on MMQB. “I think the interesting thing is, they didn’t reset their cap, but because of the Purdy contract, their cash speeding is still near the top of the league.”

“If I were a Niners fan I would feel really good about this season. I’m thinking a Divisional Round appearance would be realistic. I don’t know if I would say they need to get back to the NFCCG like they did 3 times in 4 years, but I think Divisional Round is a realistic goal.”

Could the 49ers Make a Deep Playoff Run in 2025?

Getty| George Kittle celebrates with Brock Purdy after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys on October 08, 2023.

Anytime you are subjected to the sort of season that the 49ers just experienced in 2024, folks are going to write you off in some way, shape, or form, when the new season rolls around. Despite that, the Niners still have the majority of the core pieces that helped fuel their recent rise, which should help them at least put together a more complete campaign than they did last year.

Whether or not it will result in a playoff berth remains to be seen, but it’s not as much of a stretch as some folks may believe it to be. While San Francisco may not be a de facto Super Bowl contender, it would not be a surprise to see them author a bounce-back season that will result in them finding their way back to the postseason.