It's January, and the San Francisco 49ers are at home watching the postseason. It's not what the team or the fans wanted, but there is hope that it could be the best thing for the players, giving them the time to rest, recover, and reset. For all we know, this time next year, we might be looking back and discussing how missing the postseason was good for the team.
We recently opened the 49ers Webzone mailbag for the final time of the 2024 season. You had some great questions, and we've done our best to answer them. As always, thank you for your questions, and for reading. Let's get to the mailbag:
Do you envision Brock accepting a "less than top of the market deal", say maybe $42-45M in order to keep some weapons around him? - Will S.
No, I don't. Brock Purdy will try to get as much as he can, and rightfully so. He's been excellent for the 49ers, and if they can upgrade the offensive line and get back some of their injured stars, he should be better in 2025 than in 2024.
Consider this: Even though he had a down year for him, he still threw for 3,864 yards and completed 65.9% of his passes. And that was in only 15 games. Had he played one more game, he would have thrown for over 4,000 yards for the second straight season.
So I don't expect Purdy to give the 49ers a "hometown discount." But I do hope the 49ers can structure the deal in such a way that they still have room to build a good team around him.
Trade up, trade down, or stay put with #11? - Heiko W.
I think they should stay put at pick 11 unless there's someone they fall in love with and are afraid they'll miss out on. I wouldn't trade back, because they need to get some elite talent inside the building. But if the deal is good enough, perhaps trading down would be a good option to bring in more talent.
If the 49ers trade up, they may have to give up a lot of draft capital to do so. So I'm not sure that's a good option. Remember when they traded up to number three to draft Trey Lance? That year, the Dallas Cowboys selected Micah Parsons at pick 12. Imagine what the 49ers defense would have looked like with Nick Bosa on one side and Parsons on the other side. That might have won them the Super Bowl in 2021 or 2023.
The current 49ers front office doesn't have that impressive of a track record in round one, so we'll have to see what they do. Here's what they've done in the first round so far:
- 2017: Solomon Thomas (miss), Reuben Foster (miss)
- 2018: Mike McGlinchey (miss)
- 2019: Bosa (hit)
- 2020: Javon Kinlaw (miss), Brandon Aiyuk (hit)
- 2021: Lance (miss)
- 2022: No first-round pick due to the Lance trade
- 2023: No first-round pick due to the Lance trade
- 2024: Ricky Pearsall (hit)
In that time, the 49ers made eight picks in round one. They hit on only three of them. The draft is hard to predict, and maybe hitting on three picks in eight years is normal. Even Bill Walsh whiffed in the first round a time or two. But the 49ers can't afford to miss this year.
Heading into the offseason, where do the 49ers begin the priority process of this team mess? - Ed H.
What is the highest priority to fix the mess this offseason? There are so many to choose from. OL, DL, coaching (ST and DC), contract extensions, etc. - KCarps
They have to focus on the trenches—offensive line and defensive line. On offense, they need to upgrade right tackle, center, and left guard. On defense, they need more run stuffers and pass rushers. Stopping the run was the biggest problem on defense in 2024, and was the team's most glaring weakness (other than special teams).
They will probably need help at linebacker, safety, and possibly corner, as well. But the offensive and defensive lines should be their top priority.
Other than those, extending Purdy is the first step. That needs to be done as soon as it can be completed. You want your franchise QB ready to go when the offseason program begins.
Extending George Kittle should also be a priority at some point. He needs to finish his career in San Francisco.
Are they going to fire the coaching staff? - Lloyd C.
No, Kyle Shanahan and most of the remaining coaching staff will be retained. We already know that special teams coordinator Brian Schneider has been let go. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen will no longer coach the defense. Shanahan said they may keep Sorensen in some capacity, perhaps as the new special teams coordinator.
I won't protest if they named Sorensen to that position, but I'd prefer to see them get someone more experienced. There needs to be more creativity on special teams. Sorensen didn't show much creativity as the defensive coordinator, so I question if he'll be any better with the special teams units.
Do you see them releasing Moody early, or do you think they bring competition into camp and let the best man win? - Will S.
No, I believe instead of releasing Jake Moody, who they used a third-round pick on in 2023, they will keep Moody on the roster and bring in other kickers to compete with him. The risk in doing that is that, according to those who often watch practice, Moody is an excellent kicker in practice. He's just not been very good in games.
Expect another kicker, or two, to join Moody in the offseason and training camp. The 49ers might use the preseason games to evaluate who they want to keep. Moody will have an advantage in practices, especially with his big leg. But the disadvantage for him is that while he was out this season with injuries, the two kickers who replaced him were better than him. Neither have the leg he has, but both were more consistent and reliable.
I'm all for keeping the wide 9, but even watching the Jets you can see creativity and DBs pressing, sending more than four. Do you see them looking for another d coordinator again? - Lowbridge
This question was likely asked before the news broke that Sorensen will no longer be the 49ers defensive coordinator. As of this writing, the 49ers have already interviewed former New York Jets head coach (and 49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh for the job. They've also interviewed Detroit Lions defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend.
I expect them to reach out to Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced Saleh in New York if he is let go. The Jets are searching for a head coach, and Ulbrich is being considered for the job, though he's not expected to be the choice. The question is, will the 49ers be patient enough to wait for that process, or will they make a decision before Ulbrich is let go?
I'm not counting 1982 because it was a strike year, but from Bill Walsh to George Seifert to Jim Harbaugh, when the 49ers made the Super Bowl, the following season, they've always found themselves back in the playoffs. But for Kyle Shanahan, I cannot say the same. After making the Super Bowl in 2019 & 2023, the following seasons (2020 & 2024) tend to be rather catastrophic with injury after injury and missing out on the playoffs. What is your honest opinion on why this has happened to Kyle Shanahan not once but twice? - Johnny Y.
I wish I knew. And I bet Shanahan wishes he knew, as well. In my opinion, 2020 was a fluky year. There was a global pandemic and there were no fans in the stands. It was weird. Bosa was injured early and missed the season. Kittle was in and out. QB Jimmy Garoppolo missed much of that year, too. It was a lost season for sure.
2024 was similar but it felt different. There were a plethora of injuries, as in 2020. But the vibe around the team wasn't the same. In 2020, the 49ers were still good when they were relatively healthy. But this season, they weren't. And many of the mistakes weren't young players, but veterans. And even some of the star players weren't at their best.
It was telling that Deebo Samuel recently discussed what it was like losing the Super Bowl last February. He talked about the pain and depression, only to have to turn around three weeks later and start over. That's why it seems like the Super Bowl hangover is a real thing.
Marc, do you see any possibility for the 49ers to get DeForest Buckner? What about D.J. Jones? Would help to have one or the other not just for run D but also from a locker room standpoint. - Phani T.
I would to see DeForest Buckner and D.J. Jones return to the 49ers. But it's doubtful both will return. Bucker is not a free agent, so the 49ers would have to trade for him. I don't see that happening.
Jones is a free agent and could potentially return. His price may not be too steep, because he hasn't been as productive as he once was. But I'd still love to see him return to San Francisco. He could help the run defense and provide some pressure up front.
So the Niners have the 11th pick in the draft. Any specific prospects catch your eye? And would you prioritize O line or D line? I imagine if there's a stud DE to pair with Bosa that might take precedence over an OT upgrade. - Andy G.
It's hard for me to say which I'd prefer at pick 11—a stud offensive tackle or a game-changing defensive lineman. They need two or three of those players. If I was making the choice, I'd draft a game-wrecking pass rusher first. If there's not one at 11, I'd grab a star defensive tackle who can stop the run and pressure the QB. If neither of those were available, I'd draft a good offensive tackle to replace Colton McKivitz now and Trent Williams down the road.
But they can't go wrong with any of those. I picked defense because they need more help. The offense was still good despite the injuries. The defense was not.
Another thing to consider though, is which position they're more likely to hit on. They missed on Thomas and Kinlaw, and they also missed on McGlinchey. They've missed on some early-round edge rushers, too. So which position are they better at drafting? That could influence which way I'd go.
How big of a priority is re-signing Greenlaw to the team? - Will S.
Bringing back Dre Greenlaw is a huge priority. The 49ers need him. Some of his family and friends have made it sound like he won't be back, but remember after last season, Aiyuk had family saying similar things.
49ers reporter, Matt Maiocco, recently said he believes Greenlaw will return on a one-year, "prove-it" type deal. That makes sense, and I can see that happening. It would benefit Greenlaw because he can have a full season under his belt and make more money in the 2026 off-season. And it would benefit the 49ers, as well. If they re-hire Saleh, could that persuade Greenlaw to return?
That's all for this edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag. We'll be back throughout the offseason.