Everything changed for the 49ers midway through the first quarter of Sunday’s game.
Suddenly, this season became less about this season and more about 2026.
Just days earlier, 49ers general manager John Lynch disclosed he was canvasing the NFL and would not be shy about making a trade for an edge rusher.
Now, the only way it makes sense for the 49ers to acquire a veteran in a trade is if that player is under contract for 2026, too.
It was going to be difficult for the 49ers to overcome the loss of Nick Bosa, one of the top defensive ends in the league. The 49ers already were thin on outside pass rushers before Bosa sustained a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3.
The season-ending injury to Fred Warner makes it obvious the 49ers simply do not have the players on defense to compete at the highest level in the NFL.
If things break just right, the 49ers might be able to win enough games to contend for the NFC West title. But it seems far-fetched to think without Bosa and Warner that this team can slow down any of the league’s top offensive units.
Bosa has a chance to be back at the beginning of next season. And the same goes for Warner, who is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on his dislocated and fractured right ankle.
Lynch and the 49ers still can be interested in making some moves before the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4. But it would not make any sense to strip away resources for future seasons to load up for the final couple months of this year.
That means any possible conversation surrounding Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, for example, is a non-starter … unless the 49ers intend to sign him to a multi-year contract extension. And that does not seem realistic, either.
Hendrickson is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Whatever it would take for the 49ers to acquire him is too much.
While there is no possible way for the 49ers to reach their ceiling this season without Bosa and Warner, it does not have to mean this year is lost.
The 49ers have 18 first- and second-year players on their 53-man roster. Many of those players are considered key components for the future. They have opportunities to gain valuable experience that will benefit them greatly in 2026 and beyond.
Then, when Bosa and Warner are back in the lineup, they will be surrounded by a better supporting cast.
From 2021 to ’23, the 49ers had some thin drafts. They got one quality player — Deommodore Lenoir, Brock Purdy and Dee Winters — from each of those draft classes.
The early returns from the past two years have been considerably better. The 49ers will have five second-year players in the starting lineup for the rest of the season and at least six rookies are filling significant roles.
The remainder of this season is all about setting themselves up for the future. And a big part of that entails keeping all of their 2026 draft picks for as many swings at the piñata as possible.
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