Save the Drama for Yo Mama
The 49ers enter the 2025 season on a fresh note.
It’s amazing what a difference a year makes. I know the expression is “what a difference a day makes,” but let’s be real. And specifically, I’m talking about the San Francisco 49ers.
Let’s flash back a year ago - the team had just lost, crushingly, in the Super Bowl. (For those who don’t remember, it went to overtime, and Brock Purdy had WR Jauan Jennings wide open for a TD when G Spencer Burford decided not to block DE Chris Jones and improvise - something he acknowledged after the game. Shockingly, he lost his starting spot for 2024.)
The immediate conversation turned to starting WR Brandon Aiyuk, who was heading into his last year under contract, typically the time that a player gets extended. And it was also clear that Aiyuk was going to do almost anything but make it easy for the team. Numerous social media posts suggesting the team didn’t want him, saying he would like to explore trades to other teams, etc. Then, when the 49ers found trade partners and the makings of a trade that would work … Aiyuk blinked and accepted a giant deal with the 49ers.
While this happened, OT Trent Williams decided he too wanted more guaranteed money. Both of these negotiations lasted until almost the first week of the season, meaning they hadn’t participated in any off-season drills or practices, and the vibes across the organization were, it must be said, not great.
Additionally, the team replaced their defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with in-house Nick Sorensen, brought in Brandon Staley as an assistant head coach with a role that was never clearly defined, and their godawful Special Teams was run by Brian Schneider, who I just had to spend a few minutes Googling his name as he was not memorable in any positive way.
Things needed to change, and it seems like it has.
The team entered this season ditching all of the above coaches, and replacing them with Robert Saleh at Defensive Coordinator, who brought Brant Boyer over to run Special Teams. Boyer has been an excellent ST Coordinator for years with the Jets, being kept on by three different head coaches. He’s an upgrade for sure, and the return of Saleh can’t be anything but a massive upgrade and culture change.
Next up, the key contracts - and this was going to be a big one as the guys who needed to be extended were the teams main leaders QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle and LB Fred Warner.
One thing I kept thinking about when I knew those guys were all looking for new deals was not 2024, but 2014. That offseason, the team lost Patrick Willis, Joe Staley and Frank Gore, for a variety of reasons - and not only was the talent on the team worse without them, there was a massive leadership gap in the locker room.
I think the team also recognized this. As of this week, all three of the above players have signed massive long-term deals with the team. They’ll head into the 2025 with a shallower roster than in previous years but with superstars across the field. And they’re all getting paid.
Look, the team shed a ton of talent in free agency, and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise. There’s still some very legitimate questions about who is starting on the offensive line, and what the starting WR corps will look like until Aiyuk can return from his 2024 season-ending injury. The team will be hoping that they followed an excellent 2024 draft up with another haul this year, as more than a few rookies are hopefully going to play a lot of snaps.
But the vibes? The vibes are elite, baby. The coaching staff is undoubtedly better. The team may have finally found an edge rusher to pair next to Nick Bosa, something they’ve been lacking since Dee Ford. CMC has proclaimed himself fully healthy, which unlocks the entire offense. And, the team has signed another kicker who can hopefully either inspire Jake Moody to get his shit together or to replace him. The team also has a last place schedule that is ranked, pre-season, as the easiest in the entire league.
Look, this is the time of year where if you aren’t finding ways to talk yourself into a great season for your football team, you’ve got issues. And I’m here. I think the team can easily compete for the playoffs, and anything can happen once you get into the mix there.
As the Italians would say, Andiamo!