The San Francisco 49ers have had quite an exodus of notable players this offseason, with the release and re-signing of fullback Kyle Juszczyk as their most notable move thus far.
At the NFL Combine, general manager John Lynch foreshadowed a tightening of the Niners' belt in terms of cash expenditure.
"Since Kyle (Shanahan) and I have been here, we've been the No. 2 cash-spending team. In the last four years, we're the fourth-highest cash-spending team," Lynch said.
Good or bad, no one should have been surprised about what San Francisco has done this offseason. Still, as expected, a section of 49ers' fans and analysts are questioning what's been done--or not done. One thing is certain. The Super Bowl window for the Niners' roster as it was constructed was closed by last season's 6-11 record.
NFL insiders smartly talk 49ers fans off the ledge about offseason teardown
In his most recent notes column, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated had a section devoted to the 49ers, starting with the italicized opening: San Francisco 49ers fans shouldn’t panic.
"What happened over the past few weeks wasn’t a positive development. I’d agree with that. A lot of good players.....are gone, and the 49ers are not better for it."
"But this day was coming, one way or another....After an injury-riddled 6–11 season, they had a choice. They could kick the can down the road again and make another hard run at a championship. Or they could rip the Band-Aid off and reset, with a quarterback’s contract in the offing and an aging roster around him."
"Clearly, they chose Door No. 2. After a run of four NFC title games in five years, with two Super Bowl trips mixed in, I get that it’s not the easiest pill to swallow. But it doesn’t have to mean that the Niners go into the crapper for a year or two."
Breer noted the 2023 Los Angeles Rams and the 2024 Buffalo Bills as examples of teams who carried a lot of dead money on their books but still had success.
ESPN's Dan Graziano (subscription required) hit a similar note when assessing overreactions to what has happened in free agency around the league.
"This roster still includes Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk … you get the picture. A lot of good players. The coach is still Kyle Shanahan, too. It's a well-run, high-functioning organization that has been a consistent contender when healthy. And only a year ago, it was one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Sure, the Niners are getting a little older," he stated. "Sure, it's going to be tougher once Purdy is no longer making less than $1 million per year.... My point is San Francisco just doesn't feel like the kind of team you want to overlook. Teams can reload on the fly in this league, and the 49ers still have their strong core.”
Breer and Graziano both pointed to having to pay Brock Purdy as a pressure point for him to play at a high level, and for the 49ers to keep drafting/developing well. The roster teardown that had been lurking around the corner is here, and the shared sentiment from two prominent NFL insiders proves it's not a reason to lose faith in the entire organization.
