The 2024 season was a bitter disappointment for the San Francisco 49ers, crushed by accidents, underperformance and nearly every part else that would have gone flawed. The offseason has not gone a lot better, because the roster was principally gutted in free company, with few main replacements coming in.
Listed below are three burning questions the staff remains to be dealing with going into the 2025 season.
1. Will Brock Purdy be definitely worth the cash?
At this level, it’s not a matter of if, however when Purdy will grow to be the subsequent quarterback to get a mega-contract.
That leaves the 49ers in a tricky spot as a result of there nonetheless appears to be some doubt as as to if or not Purdy is a top-tier quarterback. Even with that, the 49ers usually are not actually ready to let him go and take their possibilities on someone else.
The character of the enterprise proper now could be that when you have an excellent, top-half of the league starter, you just about have to speculate enormous cash in them.
That’s just about the state of affairs with Purdy. He’s good. You’ll be able to win with him. However is he nice? And is he going to be the motive they win?
On a rookie contract as a seventh-round decide, Purdy has been one of many greatest steals within the NFL for the 49ers in relation to wage cap sources. His low cost wage has allowed the 49ers to construct up the staff round him and unfold the cash all through the roster. It is okay if he is merely actually good as a substitute of nice.
However will he nonetheless be an excellent worth when his contract will get into the $40M-50M vary and the staff just isn’t capable of construct out its depth as a lot because of a wage cap crunch? Is he ok to make up for that? That is still to be seen. And the wage cap crunch is already right here.
2. What’s Brandon Aiyuk’s future?
After being the topic of commerce rumors all through the 2024 offseason, the 49ers and Aiyuk lastly got here to phrases on a brand new long-term contract extension to maintain him with the staff.
Each side may already be regretting that call.
Aiyuk’s 2025 season was reduce brief by a knee damage, whereas his manufacturing had considerably dropped off previous to the damage.
What does this season maintain for him?
Is he going to come back again wholesome and bounce again? Or are the 49ers already having some purchaser’s regret and regretting their massive funding? They already moved on from one prime large receiver that they just lately paid massive cash to — Deebo Samuel — and may need to proceed overhauling the place.
3. Can Mykel Williams take some stress off Nick Bosa?
The 49ers have one of many NFL’s finest EDGE gamers in Nick Bosa, and when wholesome, he stays a disruptive drive alongside their defensive position. The issue for the 49ers lately is that they’ve not likely had anyone else on their defensive position who can complement him on the other facet and take among the consideration away from him.
They’ve had a revolving door of gamers the previous two years alongside their defensive position, and the depth just isn’t what it was.
They tried to handle that in a much more important approach this offseason by drafting Mykel Williams with the No. 11 total decide. Anytime you are taking an EDGE participant within the prime 15, there are all the time going to be expectations for that participant to make a right away affect. The 49ers want him to not solely assist out their franchise participant on the opposite facet of the road, but in addition to easily make their protection and pass-rush what it was after they have been competing for Tremendous Bowls.