The 2024 NFL season fell well short of expectations for the San Francisco 49ers. Finishing last in the NFC West with a 6-11 record, the team missed the playoffs—often referred to by head coach Kyle Shanahan as "the tournament"—for the first time since 2020. While the early end to the season offered players and coaches some much-needed downtime, it also left a bitter taste that lingered throughout January and February.
That disappointment fueled a renewed sense of urgency heading into the offseason. The result? A strong turnout for the team's voluntary offseason program, which kicked off last month, followed by a full house at the start of organized team activities (OTAs) this week.
San Francisco started organized team activities (OTAs) this week, and Shanahan addressed the media following Thursday's practice, reflecting on his message to the team and the expectations moving forward.
"I think the way I addressed it the most was in our last meeting in January," Shanahan said. "I talked about how the season ended the year before, and how when I felt them all come back, I felt guys weren't ready to come back. And I understood that. But I told them how I won't really understand it this year. Not that that was right or wrong, but I couldn't comprehend it. We're off five weeks earlier. We all know how disappointed we are, and a lot of us have played a lot of football here. But we're going to have a team that doesn't know what we've done in the past or how you guys have earned a lot of stuff. We need to show them.
"And the first meeting when we get back, I expect our whole team to be here, and for it to be important to guys. And I thought the coolest thing was everyone being there on the first day. We had every guy show up, and I didn't have to call anyone and beg them, which said a lot. They all knew what I said on the last day, and I wanted to see if [it] really meant something to them, not to where I had to call them and remind them, and I didn't.
"And they all showed up, and they've all been working, and to me, that's something I really appreciated, and know I've got the right guys."
Veteran tight end George Kittle echoed Shanahan's sentiment, suggesting the poor finish alone was enough to motivate players to return early.
"When your season ends, and you're not making the playoffs, your desire to be back in the building, and to get that taste out of your mouth, I think is expedited," Kittle said. "So, guys want to be back for it. When you're playing into the middle of February, you kind of need an extra month. And so, that's why a lot of guys don't show up until Phase Two or stuff like that.
"But there is an importance of Phase One—the team-building stuff. And so, yeah, Kyle wanted us to be back. I think guys were going to be here regardless, just because they were ready to get back and play football."
Linebacker Fred Warner, a cornerstone of the 49ers' defense and one of the team's key leaders, shared that he didn't have to rally players to show up either.
"I think Kyle made a point of that at the end of last season," Warner said, "where he said how important it was for guys to be back for this phase because of how last season went, and what we knew we were going to be getting ourselves into, going into this year with a whole new group, a lot of young players, the importance of guys being back. And so, we all just made that decision on our own to be back here."
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