The new NFL offseason for the 49ers\u00a0has the potential to go much differently than last year\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u00a0will have a little more flexibility this year and we’re excited about that,\u201d president of football operations and general manager John Lynch told reporters Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0not that\u00a0the San Francisco front office\u00a0was\u00a0inactive last year\u00a0at this\u00a0juncture;\u00a0the 49ers\u00a0committed\u00a0to making Brock Purdy their franchise quarterback\u00a0with a lofty extension. It was the final big piece of locking down their core players.<\/p>\n
But there were departures elsewhere on the roster\u00a0last year, headlined by linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa\u00a0Hufanga\u00a0leaving\u00a0to join the Denver Broncos.\u00a0There were no splashy signings in\u00a0free\u00a0agency.\u00a0After multiple years of extension agreements, trades and other free agent signings,\u00a0the 49ers kept\u00a0relatively quiet\u00a0ahead of the 2025 NFL season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast\u00a0year was a huge challenge. Salary cap-wise and what\u00a0we’ve\u00a0gone for, for\u00a0numbers\u00a0of\u00a0years;\u00a0you\u00a0can’t\u00a0do that every year,\u201d 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan explained to reporters Wednesday. \u201cThat’s\u00a0the way\u00a0it’s\u00a0set up. And we had done that too many years in a\u00a0row,\u00a0so we had to\u00a0make a decision\u00a0to cut on money last year.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0us being cheap or anything.\u00a0We actually spend more, almost as much, or more than everybody.\u00a0That’s\u00a0what you\u00a0have to\u00a0do in the cycle of how\u00a0it’s\u00a0all based.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Going into the season, it\u00a0was clear that the roster was not as strong as in years\u00a0past.\u00a0The lesser depth became glaring when star defensive players Nick Bosa and Fred Warner were lost for the season due to injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the hardest thing to overcome — is how many good players we had to let go out of this building that went and helped a lot of other teams,\u201d Shanahan noted. \u201cThat’s why when we did have significant injuries to some very good players, yeah it was more daunting than it was in year\u2019s past because some of the guys we would’ve hung on, when you lose a guy like Fred or you lose a guy like Nick, those guys we lost because of free agency and stuff that we had to do because of the previous year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lynch echoed his coach\u2019s view on notable players leaving San Francisco in free agency.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0never easy to watch\u00a0good players\u00a0leave, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a function of making good deals in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that spoke to how good our roster\u00a0was,\u00a0and people want what we’ve kind of created and we\u2019ve built,\u201d Lynch said.\u00a0\u201cWhat our players have built, what Kyle has built. And\u00a0that’s\u00a0tough to watch that…\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c… those are some kinds, the\u00a0ebb\u00a0and flows of this thing that you\u00a0have to\u00a0[have], and like Kyle said,\u00a0we’ve\u00a0been\u00a0pedal\u00a0to the metal for a while. There always is reckoning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0going to be an easy season for the 49ers, even at full strength.\u00a0Nevertheless, they finished the regular season with a 12-5 record and a playoff berth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you would’ve told me that we lost those guys before the season with what we were going into, I wouldn’t have expected us to have the record and stuff that we did…\u201d Shanahan said. \u201c… We know some seasons are going to be harder than others, which we\u00a0thought this\u00a0would be. And I am proud, to a degree, of what we\u00a0accomplished.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The injuries naturally created a next-man-up mentality and gave young players plenty of opportunity to gain experience. Lynch is particularly hopeful for the growth of the\u00a0rookie\u00a0class.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really are excited about the impact that that class is going to have moving forward,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cA lot of guys, because of the injuries, had opportunities to play. Then we get guys back,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got to keep them back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite playoff elimination, relative success provides a good sense of hope for Lynch and Shanahan. The young players who were thrown into the fray could provide a better basis of depth for years to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A successful season on the field building up young players,\u00a0the return of injured stars and\u00a0financial flexibility in the offseason\u00a0is a good recipe for success \u2013 one that Lynch and Shanahan have every right to be excited about.\u00a0<\/p>\n