49ers Face Critical Decisions in 2025

With the Niners’ 2024 playoff hopes fading, a look ahead to the off-season

Nov 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the sideline against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Kyle Shanahan

He finds himself on the hot seat for the first time in eight years. He won’t be fired, he’s bought himself a year’s grace after two Super Bowl appearances, four NFC Championship Games, and making the Yorks' cash register sing with a parade of home playoff games.

Fail to make the playoffs again next year though and Shanahan would likely be let go, with talk that after nine years of the same voice the team needs a change.

The question then becomes, knowing he faces a do-or-die year, will Shanahan sacrifice the team’s future to save his own? Trading the high first round pick for an impact vet, refusing to let go of fading players he trusts? Ownership and John Lynch need to be more active in 2025.

John Lynch

Firing Lynch seems unlikely, particularly given that he’s a GM without final personnel control. Hiring a new GM would lead to speculation that Shanahan would be let go. The Yorks don’t want that smoke.

Coaching Staff

Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen, Assistant Head Coach Brandon Staley, and Special Teams Coordinator Brian Schneider all look to be casualties of this disappointing season.

Robert Saleh will be talked up as a DC candidate but it’s unknown if he’s interested in returning. I would look at what happens in Cleveland, if the floundering Browns make a coaching change Jim Schwartz could come available and he’d be a smart hire.

Schedule

Who knows about the dreaded rest differential, but the upcoming opponents are a much easier slate next year, AFC South and NFC South. Home games against Atlanta, Carolina, Jacksonville, and Tennessee. Road games in Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa.

Fans will point to the easier schedule with the hope of Shanahan doing well and keeping his job. Conversely, if the 49ers fail to make the playoffs with this schedule, there can be no argument on letting Shanahan go.

Brock Purdy

Purdy’s fate changes with the Shanahan uncertainty going forward. Keeping Purdy was about Shanahan not having a choice given his poor QB evaluation skills, and Purdy fitting what Shanahan values most in his system. If Shanahan could be fired in a year what does that mean for Purdy? It could mean the Niners wait on an extension, that’s an important call for Jed York. New GM, new head coach, and new QB in 2026 could make sense.

Free Agency and Roster Decisions

For a player in a contract year, Aaron Banks is playing surprisingly poorly. I would expect Banks, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charvarius Ward to all be let go in free agency. The team also needs to move on from Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, Jake Brendel, and Javon Hargrave. All four have had a significant dropoff this season. Hargrave is due a $19.9 million base salary next year. Whether Shanahan signs off on those cuts is an open question.

Fred Warner likely asks for a Christian McCaffrey extension and gets it. Jordan Mason is a restricted free agent, the Niners would probably put a 2nd round tender on him like they did with Jauan Jennings. While Mason would be justified in refusing to sign the tender, the team would still maintain his rights, so he’d gain nothing. If the Niners dropped the tender to the third round it’s possible a team gives up a third to land Mason.

Shopping in free agency, the team clearly needs help on the offensive line, but Shanahan the defacto GM views the OL to the right of Trent Williams as a cap savings center. He refuses to invest in it. The success of Dominic Puni may lead Shanahan to finally invest multiple picks in the offensive line in a single draft.

The primary need is defensive tackle. The Niners are expected to make a free agent run at Denver’s D.J. Jones, trying to bring back the run stuffer they’ve missed. Another target could be DeMarcus Lawrence of Dallas, he'll be 33 next year but is one of the league’s best run defenders at edge.

2025 Draft

The 49ers draft window probably falls between 14 and 18 in the first round unless they drop most of their remaining games. With their highest pick in years, Shanahan may consider dealing it for a proven impact player, taking another McCaffrey trade home run swing. This is viewed by some as a boom or bust high risk draft, leading to dealing out of the first. However, with the team fading from contention, they are not just one player away.

At or around 14, I have Kenneth Grant the DT from Michigan and edges Abdul Carter (Penn State), Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), and James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) as targets. Offensive line is bunched late first-early second.

The question is what would Shanahan do? He prefers to draft weapons early, George Kittle is 31 and fighting injuries. Colston Loveland the Michigan tight end will tempt Kyle and Loveland is slotted to go from 13-20. Faithful hoping for a first-round pick in the trenches could be disappointed yet again.

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