San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that while he'd prefer to be preparing for the playoffs, starting the offseason work earlier could prove valuable. With the team's streak of deep playoff runs at an end, the 49ers enter their season finale at 6-10, officially out of postseason contention.
"So it's gonna be our first time since, I think, Covid being off in January, and it gives you more time to figure things out," Shanahan said. "It gives you time to go through the things like the cut-ups 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."
Defensive end Nick Bosa, who has never truly experienced an extended offseason, is optimistic about how it might benefit both himself and the team.
"It's going to be huge," Bosa said. "I think we kind of needed it as a team. It's definitely a grind. It's only one more month, but adding another month on top of what you've already done feels like three months, so it's a huge, huge thing. I haven't really experienced it yet because the only time we didn't make it (to the playoffs), I was hurt. So, I was rehabbing all the way through.
"And that was probably the biggest grind of a year I've ever been through, is '21 (the season after). The rehab through the offseason, coming out, I was still battling through stuff with my knee, and then we went the hard way, traveling (in the postseason), and made it all the way, and then didn't finish it."
Bosa believes that this earlier start to the offseason offers an opportunity to rest and recharge, which he's come to value with experience.
"I like to lift, so I'll be in the gym, but I don't like to get too far out of shape because I just feel bad, mentally," Bosa shared. "So, yeah, it won't be sedentary, but I'll be chilling a little bit."
Bosa was unsure whether the strain of four deep playoff runs over the past five seasons contributed to the team's struggles this year.
"Could be. It's hard to say," Bosa said. "It's hard to put your finger on what it was. But, in the past, when we've had bad games and bad mental games where we're getting penalties and not executing, we've always rebounded. And this year, it just seems like it kept going and going and going, and then, it's just not gonna work in this league."