Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
A day after their 2024 season ended, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey reflected on a frustrating year. A season that started with Super Bowl aspirations ended with a 6-11 record, and injuries had played a major role in that decline. “I think we’re all pissed off in the right ways,” McCaffrey said. “And I think that’s a good place to be.” Unlike past years when playoff losses led straight into offseason planning, the 49ers now have more time to regroup. Last season ended with a Super Bowl LVIII loss on Feb. 11, 2024, giving them only 18 days before the NFL Scouting Combine and 29 days before the start of free agency. This time, they have 53 days before the combine and 64 days before free agency opens.
While the team would rather be preparing for another deep playoff run, the extra time allows them to recover and prepare for key offseason moves.
More Time to Plan and Make Key Coaching Decisions
Head coach Kyle Shanahan believes the extended offseason provides a valuable opportunity to assess, adjust, and reset.
“It gives you more time to figure things out,” Shanahan said. “It gives you time to go through the things like the cutups and stuff. You can finish most of that stuff all before the Super Bowl. And then you’re ready to go to other stuff like the draft and free agency and all that as soon as the Super Bowl ends. So just being a lot more ahead of that is real exciting.”
One of the biggest advantages has been coaching staff changes. Shanahan moved on from defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, a decision that might not have been possible if the 49ers had played deep into January or February. With more time to conduct a thorough search, the team quickly locked in Robert Saleh, their preferred choice from the start.
In previous years, DeMeco Ryans’ departure for the Texans job in 2023 led to a rushed search that ended with Steve Wilks. That cycle repeated when Wilks was dismissed after Super Bowl LVIII, leading to Sorensen’s promotion in March. This time, the 49ers acted swiftly, hiring Saleh on Jan. 24, weeks before the busiest part of the coaching carousel.
“It’s a little bit harder in February, which the last two were,” Shanahan said. “Just being the last team to finish last year and before that, being the second-to-last team to finish makes it a lot different.”
The team also took advantage of the extra time to hire special teams coordinator Brant Boyer and add another experienced defensive coach, Gus Bradley.
Injuries and Roster Challenges After a Tough Season
The impact of three straight deep playoff runs caught up to the 49ers in 2024, as key players struggled to stay on the field. McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Mitch Wishnowsky all missed significant time, while Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brock Purdy, Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, and Aaron Banks dealt with shorter-term issues. The constant lineup changes made it difficult for the team to find consistency.
McCaffrey believes the longer offseason will help the team recover and reset.
“When you have a lot of success for a couple years in a row and then you get humbled quick, it’s a good reminder of what it takes to be good in this league,” he said. “Not that we needed a reminder, but I’m just excited for the offseason to get everybody a little bit of rest, get healthy again, and come back ready to go with a full year in front of us.”
Key Roster Moves Coming
With the coaching staff set, the 49ers now shift focus to free agency and the draft. Reports indicate they will release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation and could explore trading or releasing Deebo.
They also have tough decisions to make on Greenlaw, Hufanga, and Banks, who will hit free agency. Analysts project the team to have around $50 million in cap space, though part of that will go toward a Brock Purdy extension and their NFL Draft class, which features the No. 11 overall pick.
General manager John Lynch sees this as a rare opportunity to fine-tune the roster.
“We can go more in depth this year,” Lynch said. “I think you always try to look for the positive in situations, and there isn’t a whole lot of positive of not being in the playoff run. You have to make it a positive because we have this time, how are we going to use it? And I think we can focus a little bit more on where we want to go, where we want to evolve in both personnel, scheme, all these things.
“And that’s what we’ll do, we’ll take advantage of the time. In a sense, it kind of energizes you to come back and have this time to really put our minds and our staff’s minds together to come out with the best, to give us the best opportunity to compete going forward.”
The 49ers still believe they have built a roster to contend in 2025, but every decision this offseason will be critical in getting them back to Super Bowl form.
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This report used information from ESPN.
