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NFL offseason power rankings: No. 13 San Francisco 49ers try to forget a nightmare season

Published

12 months ago

July 14, 2025

NFL offseason power rankings: No. 13 San Francisco 49ers try to forget a nightmare season

Nobody knew it at the time, but 90 minutes before the San Francisco 49ers’ season began we got our first tip that everything was about to go wrong.

The 49ers, after a pretty clear manipulation of the injury report, declared Christian McCaffrey inactive for their Week 1 game. That surprised everyone, especially fantasy football managers waiting for their first-round pick to put up some points on Monday night. The 49ers said in the week leading up to the opener that McCaffrey’s Achilles injury wasn’t an issue. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year didn’t play until Nov. 10 due to that injury.

The 49ers won their first game against the Jets without McCaffrey. But it was the first sign that San Francisco was going to have one of those seasons.

[Get more San Francisco news: 49ers team feed]

The 49ers led in overtime of the Super Bowl months before last season started. They saw the title slip away when Patrick Mahomes led a game-winning drive for the Kansas City Chiefs. That stung, but most of the roster was set to return. The 49ers were in position to get right back to a Super Bowl. They put out the one big fire of the offseason, a Brandon Aiyuk trade tour, when they used the Pittsburgh Steelers to set the market and signed Aiyuk to a huge extension. Everything seemed fine. And McCaffrey’s injury wasn’t a big deal, right?

Sometimes when things go bad in the NFL, they go really bad. The 49ers had the most games lost due to injuries in the NFL by a mile and nearly every position group was affected. The 49ers had the second-most adjusted games lost to injury on offense and the third-most on defense. McCaffrey played in just four games. Aiyuk tore his ACL. Close losses piled up. In a moment that summed up a spiraling season, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refused to go back into a game against the Rams and then just left the sideline. When the 49ers lost by 28 points to the Packers and 25 points to the Bills in back-to-back weeks, they were 5-7 and effectively finished. A team everyone ranked among the top few in the NFL going into the season went 6-11.

And if the bad vibes ended when the season did, that would have been fine. They didn’t. Deebo Samuel asked for a trade and was shipped to the Washington Commanders. The 49ers lost eight free agents who got at least $10 million per season elsewhere. Money talks in the NFL, which makes it easy to see San Francisco lost a lot of valuable players. Their three biggest free agent additions were all backups (tight end Luke Farrell, quarterback Mac Jones, receiver Demarcus Robinson) at low-cost contracts. The 49ers couldn’t spend much because they were keeping the decks clear for Brock Purdy’s five-year, $265 million extension, which was signed in May. Aiyuk’s recovery from his knee injury seems to be going a bit slow and he could start the season on the physically unable to perform list. Now Jauan Jennings, who’s grown into a valuable contributor at wide receiver, wants a new contract — or a trade. It was a horrible offseason for San Francisco.

And yet, the 49ers built such a deep, talented roster over the past few years that there’s hope for this season. McCaffrey should be back. Purdy is an efficient master of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Other players like George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are among the best in the NFL at their positions. Shanahan is one of the NFL’s best coaches, and he made a good hire to bring Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator. BetMGM has the 49ers with one of the highest win totals in the NFL, at 10.5, and it’s justifiable. The 49ers had one of the unluckiest seasons possible, and that won’t repeat. There’s tremendous talent on hand.

It’s just a bit tougher now. Those stars are a year older. The roster took some hits. We can’t be sure if McCaffrey, at age 29, is further beyond his prime than we realize. Last year, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that San Francisco would be one of the best teams in the NFL. Going into this season, it’s hard to know what the 49ers will be.

Offseason grade

The 49ers lost nine players who other NFL teams believed were worth more than $10 million per season: receiver Deebo Samuel, guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Charvarius Ward, offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins. Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders and the others were free agents. No matter how you want to explain the defections, that’s a lot to lose in one offseason. And San Francisco didn’t add a single impact free agent. The highest-paid free agent addition was tight end Luke Farrell (three years, $15.75 million) who fills a role as a blocking tight end and insurance in case George Kittle goes down, but it’s hard to get too excited. A low-cost trade for pass rusher Bryce Huff, the Eagles’ most expensive free agent addition last season (yes, he got more money than Saquon Barkley) after Huff didn’t fit in Philadelphia could pay off. The draft didn’t get good grades, but pass rusher Mykel Williams was a good value at No. 13 and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (second round) and linebacker Nick Martin (third round) should also help the front seven. When I graded each team’s moves, I ranked the 49ers’ offseason as the worst in the NFL.

Grade: D-

Quarterback report

Brock Purdy is now one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

(Michael Owens via Getty Images)

The debate about whether the 49ers should pay Brock Purdy is over. Not that the team seemed to ever entertain the idea of not paying him. Purdy signed a five-year, $265 million contract with $182.55 million guaranteed. It’s one of the great stories in sports, a former Mr. Irrelevant who now has the fifth-largest contract, in terms of total value, in NFL history.

The next question will be if the 49ers can build a roster around Purdy that can compete for championships. It’s understandable why San Francisco wasn’t going to let Purdy walk. He has been highly efficient running Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. Last season Purdy did post career lows in passer rating, completion percentage, adjusted yards per attempt, touchdown rate and sack rate while delivering a career-high interception rate, but that can be attributed to the attrition around him. However, with Purdy taking up a lot of the salary cap going forward, he’ll have to get used to not being surrounded by a stellar supporting cast.

BetMGM odds breakdown

From Yahoo’s Ben Fawkes: “The era of Brock Purdy being the best QB contract value in the league is over, as Purdy signed his long-awaited extension this offseason. Is the Super Bowl window closing for the 49ers? Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga are gone, but San Francisco has easiest schedule of any team by opposing win total — which helps explain a seemingly high win total of 10.5 at BetMGM. The 49ers are favored in a staggering 15 games this season and in the two games they’re underdogs, it’s only by 1.5 points each. The 49ers are +160 favorites in the NFC West (ahead of the Rams at +185) and -180 favorites to make the postseason. But can they get back to the Super Bowl? They’re 20-to-1 to win it all, tied for the seventh shortest odds.”

Yahoo’s fantasy take

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The market doesn’t know what to do with Christian McCaffrey this year, and I understand. He’s currently the RB6 in Yahoo ADP, typically going in that 10-13 range overall. McCaffrey has missed more than half the season in three of his past five years, but in his last four healthy seasons, he’s been the RB3, RB1, RB2 and RB1 in basic fantasy scoring. It’s ironic that McCaffrey played just four games last year while most of the other signature backs in the league were shockingly healthy. Bottom line, McCaffrey is the biggest boom-or-bust pick in the league. Do you feel lucky?”

Stat to remember

In the 49ers’ final two games last season, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were laying the groundwork for the 2025 season. They combined for 28 catches, 329 yards and two touchdowns in those final two games. Each of them caught at least six balls in each game. That could be a preview of what’s to come.

Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a major knee injury. When he’ll return and how good he’ll be when he does get back is a mystery. Deebo Samuel is gone. George Kittle is one of the NFL’s best tight ends and if Christian McCaffrey is healthy he’ll get plenty of touches, but the 49ers offense also has to feature Pearsall and Jennings more, especially early in the season. Pearsall was a 2024 first-round pick whose rookie season got off to a slow start after he was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery. He looked good late. Jennings has generally played well when given the opportunity, and last season he had 975 yards and six touchdowns despite starting just 10 games. He complicated matters some this month by asking for a new contract or trade, so the 49ers have to sort that out. Because together, Pearsall and Jennings should be able to produce early in the season, and if Aiyuk rebounds to his pre-2024 form the 49ers might have one of the best receiver groups in the NFL.

Burning question

Can Robert Saleh boost the 49ers defense?

When Robert Saleh got the New York Jets head coaching job, it was mostly because his defenses in San Francisco were outstanding. The 49ers had a top seven defense in DVOA in Saleh’s final two seasons in San Francisco, and while he didn’t succeed running the Jets, his defenses were among the NFL’s best after a tough first year. Saleh might do well in his second head coaching job — he’s far from the first coach to not overcome a ridiculously bad Jets situation — but he didn’t land a top job this past offseason. It made sense for Saleh and the 49ers, who fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen after one season in that role, to reunite for his second stint running the team’s defense.

The 49ers are undergoing a makeover on that side of the ball. They are projected to have four new starters on defense, and it could be five if rookie Nick Martin beats out Dee Winters at inside linebacker. Saleh is one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL and he’s a great fit to guide San Francisco through its transition, even if it’s just for the short term before he gets another shot to be a head coach.

Best case scenario

A Kyle Shanahan offense with Brock Purdy distributing the ball to Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings (if his contract situation is resolved), Ricky Pearsall and (eventually) Brandon Aiyuk should be very good. The defense will look different but has All-Pro talent with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, and Robert Saleh is a proven defensive coach. Seeing the betting market have the 49ers among the top win totals and best Super Bowl odds might be startling after they went 6-11 and had a rough offseason. But bad luck factors like injuries and a 2-6 record in one-score games that sank the 49ers last season won’t repeat and the top-end talent on the roster is undeniable. Also, the 49ers go from the second-toughest schedule in the NFL last season (via DVOA) to one that is projected to be by far the easiest (via Sharp Football Analysis, which uses betting win totals to determine strength of schedule). If everything that went wrong last season does a 180 and goes right this season, the 49ers could win the Super Bowl. That remains their upside.

Nightmare scenario

The 49ers’ roster is more top-heavy after many solid players left this offseason. Trent Williams will be 37 this season, George Kittle will turn 32 in October and Christian McCaffrey is 29, which isn’t young for a running back. If those three Hall of Fame talents slip at once, the offense will suffer, especially if Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t bounce back strong from a torn ACL or the 49ers don’t sort out the Jauan Jennings contract. Some projections believe the 49ers could have a bottom-10 defense, after it struggled badly down the stretch and lost talent in the offseason. Great NFL teams have an expiration date. Championship windows don’t stay open forever. The 49ers can blame injuries for last season’s collapse, but it’s also possible we saw the first signs of a very strong roster falling to the middle of the pack. If the 49ers miss the playoffs again, the next step will be figuring out whether their core is capable of a rebound or if it’s time to blow it up. It would really hurt to say goodbye to this group without it ever winning a Super Bowl.

The crystal ball says

The 49ers were one of the toughest teams in this countdown to figure out. A Super Bowl championship is in their range of outcomes. We also saw a significant downturn last season, and they had the worst offseason of any NFL team. Star players like Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams and others become harder to project due to injuries or age. The 49ers will rebound from last season’s nightmare, but not all the way to being one of the NFL’s elite teams. There are too many variables to predict that to happen. They will be an NFC West contender, and that race against the Rams could come down to the final week of the season. Which side of the division race the 49ers fall on could go a long way in determining their future course.

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San Francisco, CA

Classical music series helps reconnect downtown San Francisco community

Published

6 hours ago

July 11, 2026

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Classical music series helps reconnect downtown San Francisco community

Coffee, croissants and classical music brought office workers, residents and visitors together at One Sansome as the free monthly Baroque & Brew series transformed a weekday morning into a community gathering in downtown San Francisco.

The event, held inside the Conservatory at One Sansome, featured live performances by Philharmonia Baroque and invited attendees to enjoy music in the landmark building’s 8,100-square-foot atrium.

Guests were free to sit or stand while listening, with many nearby office workers stopping in during an early lunch break.

The monthly series is scheduled to return in August and September and aims to bring together downtown workers and neighbors through music and shared public space.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity to have coffee, to be in community, and do what our city is known for—the art, the culture—and to share it with each other,” attendee Roger Joyner said. “It’s a beautiful summertime moment.”

Joyner said events like Baroque & Brew reflect the character of the city.

“I think that’s what San Francisco is meant to be…a city that offers culture and the beauty of art to the world. And we that live here get to enjoy it,” he said.

Organizers said the performances are intended to make live classical music more accessible while contributing to ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown San Francisco.

“It’s just a really nice way for us to get the music out of the concert hall to the people downtown, trying to reactivate Downtown San Francisco and show what a welcoming place we can be as a city,” said Isaac Bunch, general manager of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale.

For Joyner, the event also offered a chance to pause amid the pace of daily life.

“We get to take a break. We are hustle and bustle, doing what we do to make the city work, and then we get refreshed by it,” he said. “I think it’s great — it brings it right into the middle of our hub.”

The gathering highlighted how music, conversation and public spaces can bring people together as downtown San Francisco continues its recovery.

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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Blocks Vacant Grocery Store Tax Proposal | KQED

Published

16 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Blocks Vacant Grocery Store Tax Proposal | KQED

The Affordable Groceries Act aimed to increase access to grocery stores and pharmacy chains by taxing empty storefronts and establishing a fund to subsidize groceries.

A view down an aisle at a Safeway supermarket in Walnut Creek, California, on July 22, 2025. Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin, claims that Lurie stepped in to swat down the grocery store tax proposal because Amazon, which owns Whole Foods Market, had been “lobbying intensely” against the proposal at City Hall for weeks. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)

“They don’t like taxes on corporations. It’s just philosophical. But the unprecedented part is that yesterday, I got a call that they are going to actively oppose this,” Mahmood said of the Lurie administration. “The only conclusion I can draw is this comes from pressure that Amazon built.”

Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin, claims that Lurie stepped in to swat down the grocery store tax proposal because Amazon, which owns Whole Foods Market, had been “lobbying intensely” against the proposal at City Hall for weeks.

According to Mahmood, Amazon lobbyists requested an exemption to the legislation for the company’s shuttered Whole Foods storefront on Market Street. Mahmood declined the request.

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood speaks during a rally for survivors of sexual assault and harassment at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco on July 7, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)

“They said, if you do this, we will campaign against it,” Mahmood told KQED. “The explicit words from their lobbyists were, we just spent $250,000 against Prop D. We could probably do the same here again.”

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Proposition D, known as the Overpaid CEO Tax, appeared on the June primary ballot and aimed to tax major corporations to fill the city’s budget gaps. Opponents, including moderate political pressure groups and tech leaders, spent millions of dollars to defeat it. Lurie also urged a “no” vote. It ultimately failed to pass.

The closure of grocery stores and pharmacies has factored into affordability challenges in the city.

Nearly a third of San Franciscans living below the poverty line are food insecure, according to a 2024 report by the city’s Food Security Task Force, and nearly 110,000 residents utilize CalFresh, a food benefits program that the Trump administration has made qualifying for more difficult.

But Lurie has said Mahmood’s plan won’t help fill the city’s many empty grocery stores.

“Mayor Lurie is working to bring grocery stories to San Francisco’s communities. More taxes won’t achieve that,” said Charles Lukvak, the mayor’s spokesperson. “We support the Affordable Grocery Fund and will continue working with Supervisor Mahmood and the entire Board to bring more grocery stores to the city.”

Taxes collected on the vacant storefront proposal could have gone toward a new affordable grocery fund, which would also accept private donations if both measures passed. The fund would be intended for a variety of different affordability programs focused on healthy food.

Mahmood said Lurie urged Supervisor Connie Chan to cut the item from the upcoming Budget and Finance Committee agenda, striking its chances of going on the ballot this November.

A spokesperson for Chan said she supports the intent of the legislation but that it required more work and was not ready to go before the board or voters.

San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman speaks at a press event in front of San Francisco City Hall on Oct. 29, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)

“Budget Chair Connie Chan agrees with Supervisor Mahmood’s intent for this measure — we need more neighborhood grocery stores — but she also understands that much work needs to be done to this measure to deliver that intent,” said Robyn Burke, Chan’s spokesperson. “Supervisor Mahmood has amendments he wants to make to his legislation that he is still working on.”

Mahmood said he had support from Supervisors Chyanne Chen, Danny Sauter, Stephen Sherrill and Myrna Melgar for the proposal.

He has a final Hail Mary he is holding out for that could allow the proposal to move forward after a motion next Tuesday, if Board President Rafael Mandelman steps in to initiate a vote. Mandelman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“When a proposal to make groceries more affordable gets pulled from the agenda before the public even gets to weigh in, that’s a problem no matter who asked for it,” Mahmood said. “San Franciscans deserve an up-or-down vote, in public, from their elected leaders.”

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SF Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosts listening session after medical leave

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2026

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SF Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosts listening session after medical leave

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosted her first community listening session Thursday night since returning from a three-month medical leave.

Dozens of District 9 residents packed the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center to welcome back Fielder and voice concerns about issues affecting their communities.

“We are thankful that you took time for yourself to equip yourself to be sitting here today,” one attendee told Fielder. “So I thank you and commend you for returning.”

Fielder returned to City Hall last month after taking a three-month medical leave.

“I’m just grateful for the outpouring of support that I had and glad to be back on the job,” Fielder said. “Mental health is really prevalent, and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I had a mental health crisis. This is a challenging job, and I’m very privileged to be here.”

San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder (Photo: KRON4)

Fielder said she is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns.

“To me, the biggest issue locally is the homeless issue, and it’s citywide,” San Francisco resident Maggie Weis said.

Fielder was joined by members of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Police Department to answer questions about pedestrian safety, city budget cuts and other issues.

The supervisor said one of her priorities moving forward is expanding access to clean, well-maintained public restrooms.

“[We’re] still seeing a lot of feces around the district and city,” Fielder said. “Would love to see our city have more public bathrooms and be able to maintain them as well.”

The next listening session is scheduled for July 23 at 6 p.m. at La Fénix in the Mission.

Watch the full report from KRON4’s Sara Stinson in the video player at the top of the story.

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