This column is an excerpt from our Section 415 newsletter, where we cover the biggest stories in Bay Area sports each Monday and Friday. To sign up, visit The Standard’s newsletter page and select Section 415. It’s free to subscribe!
In February, Levi’s Stadium will host Super Bowl 60, the Warriors could shake up their roster at the NBA trade deadline, and new Giants manager Tony Vitello will open his first spring training.
It’s a massive month, but what happens in January will shape our expectations for all that lies ahead.
In the coming weeks, we’ll see if the 49ers win enough games to give Fred Warner a chance to return, if Jonathan Kuminga can reenter the Warriors’ rotation, and if Buster Posey can make a marquee offseason acquisition for the Giants.
Here are five Bay Area sports figures to watch this month.Â
Fred Warner
The 49ers’ star linebacker and future Hall of Famer dislocated his ankle in October and his season was supposed to be over. No one expected a team without Nick Bosa and Warner to play deep into January anyway, but San Francisco’s surprise surge and Warner’s spirited rehab process have kept the possibility of a postseason return on the table.Â
If Warner is healthy enough to play in a potential NFC Championship Game, he’ll stabilize a defense that’s been overmatched against the league’s best offenses. As long as quarterback Brock Purdy keeps the 49ers’ offense humming, one of the best coverage linebackers of his generation could be the ultimate playoff X-factor.
Mike Dunleavy
From the outside, it appears the Warriors’ general manager is in an impossible position. He has to improve Golden State’s roster without sacrificing too many valuable assets, all while keeping owner Joe Lacob and coach Steve Kerr happy.Â
The path forward almost certainly involves finding a new team for Kuminga, but there’s no clear landing spot. Would Dunleavy consider moving Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler in a deal to acquire another superstar who can help build a bridge to the future?
The bottom line is that Dunleavy will have to ruffle feathers, but doing so will be a worthwhile endeavor if he can give Steph Curry more help. Whatever happens in the post-Curry era might be the problem for a different GM anyway.
Greg Johnson
The Giants’ chairman spoke with The Standard’s John Shea and Tim Kawakami in October and hinted that the team might not spend aggressively this offseason. After the front office made several lower-profile moves such as signing Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle, it appears he wasn’t kidding.
It’s a fool’s errand to judge a team’s potential before the start of spring training, but the Giants have done nothing to indicate they’ll be better in 2026 than they’ve been in the last four disappointing seasons.Â
If Johnson doesn’t give Buster Posey the resources to build a better roster, it’s hard to envision Posey wanting to do this job for much longer.Â
Zaileen Janmohamed
If you don’t know Janmohamed’s name yet, you will soon (opens in new tab). The president and CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee played a leading role in the region landing the Super Bowl and the World Cup.Â
Even if Super Bowl festivities won’t begin after the NFC and AFC title games later this month, Janmohamed will likely begin a media tour touting all of the upcoming events – the Pro Bowl, NFL Honors, a concert series, and more – in the near future.Â
Tosh Lupoi
GM Ron Rivera hired the Cal alum and former Jeff Tedford assistant in large part because he’s an elite recruiter. The transfer portal officially opened Friday morning and it’s imperative that Lupoi and his pool of high-profile assistants start using the financial resources Rivera has helped accumulate to add impact players.
It’s unlikely Andrew Luck, Tavita Pritchard, and Stanford will ever be as aggressive in the portal as most ACC teams, but Cal could be different. Lupoi will show us exactly how different very soon.