49ers’ Offseason Plan: Can They Defy Time and Injuries to Chase Another Super Bowl?

After a grueling 6-11 season that saw their Super Bowl dreams crash and burn, the San Francisco 49ers are not planning a full-scale rebuild. Instead, they’re doubling down. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan held their season-ending press conference and made one thing clear: they believe injuries, not roster flaws, derailed their season.

“You don’t want to have excuses,” Lynch said. “But a lot of our finishers weren’t out there. It’s our job to fix that.”

For a team that prides itself on closing out games, their inability to do so in key moments was glaring. Losses to division rivals—Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks—were particularly painful, with Shanahan admitting, “We lost them at the end with our own mistakes, which means we would have been 8-2 going into Week 11. That was the hardest thing because then we hit some real bad injuries which were going to be tough, and that’s to me what made it steamroll.”

Running It Back—With Tweaks

Despite an aging roster and looming salary cap challenges, the 49ers are committed to keeping their core intact. That includes 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, who will be 37 next season and missed the final seven games. “Trent’s mindset is where it always is. He’s still very interested in being the great player that he is,” Lynch said. “Trent is as committed as ever.”

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is also expected to return. “He’s a good player and he’s done a ton for this organization,” Lynch emphasized. “We’re not in the business of letting good players out of here.”

But financial constraints loom, particularly with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who played just half a game after returning from an Achilles tear. Shanahan was emphatic: “We’re doing everything in the world to bring Dre Greenlaw back. We’re not into losing really good players who are unbelievable people. But that’s also a very hard challenge.”

Coaching Shake-Up

The 49ers will have their fourth defensive coordinator in four years after firing Nick Sorensen. Special teams coordinator Brian Schneider is also out, marking the third change at that position in Shanahan’s tenure.

One key move: the promotion of Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator—though Shanahan will retain play-calling duties.

The Brock Purdy Factor

With quarterback Brock Purdy’s eventual payday looming, the 49ers must navigate cap challenges carefully. But Shanahan is unwavering in his belief in his young quarterback: “I’ve loved these three years with Brock. I plan on dealing with Brock all the time I’m here.”

The Championship Window: Closing or Wide Open?

Despite their setbacks, the 49ers remain confident that their championship window is still open. The sting of their overtime Super Bowl loss still lingers.

“When you come up short as we did on Feb. 11 last year… everything you think about is how to make that up,” Shanahan said. “When people talk about windows and stuff like that… we took our best shot, and then it didn’t go right.

“Now we’re going to do it again.”

With a last-place schedule next season offering a path to redemption, the 49ers are betting they have one more run left in them. The question remains: Can they overcome age, injuries, and the weight of expectations to finally finish the job?