Despite his team looking like anything other than a Super Bowl contender in their 41-6 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy seems extremely high on his team's chances as they head into 2026.
Purdy looked ahead to next season when addressing reporters following the loss on Saturday and was asked specifically if he thought the 49ers were capable of winning the Super Bowl in 2026. He didn't hesitate when giving his answer.
"100 percent," Purdy said. "Yeah."
What makes Purdy so confident coming off such a lopsided loss? It starts with his teammates, who rallied around each other to fight through a season full of adversity and finish with 13 wins. Other teams might have folded after the level of injuries the 49ers sustained in 2025, which included season-ending injuries to linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (knee), as well as a turf toe issue that kept Purdy out for six weeks. But this year's 49ers team impressed onlookers all over the NFL with how far they were able to go, and has reason to believe they can build on that next season.
"I really do believe that we have the right guys, man," Purdy said. "Obviously didn't end the way we wanted it to, but I really do think that with some guys getting healthy and what we stand for and how we always bounce back. I feel like our backs were against the wall, really, all season with guys going down, but we always found a way. And so I think once we're 100 percent and feel good about ourselves and learn, and then we'll be just fine."
The 49ers will have some holes to fill and upgrades to make on their roster in order to get themselves in the best position to push for a Super Bowl in 2026. But they'll have the heart of their 2025 team returning, as well as a number of young players who had to carry a lot of weight this season and improved enough to add room for optimism in 2026.
"The hopes seemed pretty grim (when the injuries occurred)," left tackle Trent Williams said Saturday. "But as we continued to play and then I start to learn this team, and we all start to learn each other, you start to realize, 'Hey, we have a real shot.' In my opinion, there was no team that was just a clear-cut number one throughout the whole season, so I just think it was wide open. I think a lot of people thought like me. And that's why a lot of people tried to fight until they couldn't fight anymore."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't quite ready to think too much about the future when speaking to the media on Saturday, but he pointed out that the young players the 49ers had to give snaps to in 2025 could be something to build on next year and beyond.
"I always will think about what's possible and stuff, but it's definitely the last thing I've thought about," Shanahan said in his postgame press conference. "I haven't thought about that at all recently and haven't thought about it at all up to this moment. But, you know, a lot of guys got to play this year that haven't played in the past, and that should help us for the future. But we'll come in Monday, and we'll deal with all this stuff, put this game to bed, and deal with all the players, and then we'll very quickly start on our offseason plan and how to build this team the best way possible to give us a shot next year."
Even though the players were understandably dejected after Saturday night's loss, it will come as no surprise if this 49ers team returns in the spring as a much more upbeat group than one might usually expect, considering the way things ended. It would be a contrast to where things were after the conclusion of the 2023 season, when the 49ers lost a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and after the 2024 season, when the 49ers faced uncertainty after saying farewell to a number of veteran players in free agency. But after a year where the team accomplished more than anyone thought they would, especially after their injuries, it's safe to expect the 49ers will be able to rebound quickly, given what they can build on heading into the coming year.
"The resiliency, the character, and the heart of this team was unlike anything I've ever been a part of," Purdy said. "I know a lot of guys were saying that (after the game). Kyle said it, Trent Williams, everyone feels it -- the heart, man. And so for us it does excite us in terms of we're going to regroup and get guys healthy and get back after it. So we are excited for the future, but obviously right now it just sucks because the loss is fresh in our mouths."