There are a lot of questions that will follow the San Francisco 49ers into the offseason. Who will get extensions? Who will be let go? What moves will they make in free agency and the draft? And many more.
You have questions, as well, and that's a good thing because we opened a sparkling new 49ers Webzone Mailbag for your New Year's perusal. As always, thanks so much for the great questions, and for reading our work. Let's hop into the mailbag:
Why did we abandon the run? The one-dimensional offense is just a recipe for disaster. - Covlol
It's the curious case of Kyle Shanahan and the fourth-quarter yips. It's happened in both Super Bowl appearances with Shanahan, as well as the 2021 NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams. It happened multiple times in 2024, including the game against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.
For some reason, Shanahan sometimes quits running the ball in the second half of close games. The 49ers ran the ball only four times in the second half on Monday night. That included the touchdown "pass" to Deebo Samuel which was essentially a run play, and Joshua Dobbs' touchdown run. When your defense can't stop an explosive offense, why not play keep-away and run the ball more?
I agree that the one-dimensional offense is a recipe for disaster. Brock Purdy's first interception against the Lions was a bad throw. You can make the case, though, that his second pick was due to the 49ers not running the ball. Detroit was sitting on those passing plays more as the game went on.
I asked Anthony Robertson, my co-host on "The Red and Bold Show," if he thought Purdy's second interception was due to play-calling and the offense becoming too predictable. He didn't believe so. Robertson said, "I think the second pick had less to do with predictability and more to do with bad execution. The Lions had an eight-man box and bit on the play-action. I think Brock didn't read the coverage well. When he saw Kirby Joseph creeping in the middle of the field, he should have worked the two-receiver side and threw it to [Jauan] Jennings or Juice (Kyle Juszczyk) who were both open."
Robertson knows more than I do, so I'll take his word for it. He breaks down a lot of game film each week. You can find him at 49ers Cutback.
Where can one try out for FG kicker for the 49ers? - Lowbridge
4949 Marie P. DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA.
Ask for Kyle. But be forewarned. He may be in a bad mood.
In the offseason, will the 49ers' rebuild emphasis be primarily on the defense or will they need to make some changes on offense too? - Ed H.
The offensive line needs to be upgraded. Left guard Aaron Banks likely won't return, so they'll need to figure out who steps in there. Right tackle could use an upgrade over Colton McKivitz, although he wasn't the weak link on the offensive line this season. That honor belonged to center Jake Brendel. If the 49ers don't upgrade the center position, the offense will continue to have issues against good teams.
Beyond that, most of their attention will be on the defensive side. San Francisco must upgrade the defensive line and linebacker groups. Their inability to stop the run this season has been concerning. If you can't stop the run, you won't win any big games in the NFL. I'm not worried about the offense in 2025, but I am very concerned about the defense.
Should the 49ers leave the defense as is and focus resources on offense, specifically the offensive line? - The Joe49
No, the defense was not good this season. They have to make changes. They need a corner to replace Charvarius Ward, who will likely leave in the offseason as a free agent. They will need to add a linebacker if Dre Greenlaw leaves. They may need another safety if Talanoa Hufanga moves on, too. And the defensive line was a mess in 2024. They have guys starting on the defensive line who are backups. They need more depth, they need a run stuffer, and they need more pass rushers.
Will the 49ers replace DC Sorensen with Robert Saleh this offseason? - James D.
Will the 49ers replace Nick Sorensen this offseason? It's possible, especially after Monday's debacle. Will the 49ers replace him with Robert Saleh? I doubt it. Not because they won't reach out to him, but because I think he'd like to go somewhere else.
Why do I think that? It's because he got a head coaching job based on his work with Shanahan. He was fired as the Jets coach, so if he has to go back to being a defensive coordinator, it makes sense that he'd want to do it away from Shanahan so that he can make a name for himself, outside of Shanahan's shadow. But that's just speculation on my part. I have no insider knowledge about Saleh's mindset.
Draft needs in order: DT, LT, C, TE, FB, LB. FA Needs: Vet situational Pass Rusher. Am I right? - William S.
You're on to something here, William. I can't argue with the order of your draft needs. Maybe center would be higher on my list, but I'd start with defensive tackle or offensive tackle, whichever they are higher on when it's their turn to pick. Unless there's a stud edge rusher at that spot, I think I'd go with a defensive or offensive tackle.
Keep in mind that free agency comes first. So if the 49ers were to bring back D.J. Jones or someone like that, it would make their decision easier in round one of the draft.
What are the contract and cap implications if say Trent Williams retires at the end of the season? Do they settle the difference or is all the guaranteed money accelerated? - JG
This involves Math, so I had to reach out to Jason Hurley, of 49erscap.com, to get his insight. Here's what he wrote:
"If Trent were to retire, the 49ers only save $1.796M, as his base is GTD, but he would forfeit it, same with any guarantees in 2026, and the 49ers can go after his signing bonus prorations that he has left. They wouldn't get it back till 2026 though, it'd be yearly payments."
Our managing editor, David Bonilla, also sent me this information from Russell Street Report:
"When a player is released (or retires), the team is relieved of having the pay the player's base salary (P5) and any Roster Bonus that may become due after that, but still will need to account for any Signing or Option Bonus prorations that haven't yet counted against the Salary Cap."
I'm not expecting Trent Williams to retire, but he and his family have been through a lot this season. So you never really know what will happen.
Does Brendel return as the starting center next year? - Invader49er
I sure hope not. I've said all season long that Brendel is the team's biggest weakness, although the other Jake (Moody) might have something to say about that. There needs to be an upgrade at the center position in 2025.
After watching the Lions game last night, does Shanahan have any more creativity left in his Houdini (motion) offensive scheme? It seems like Ben Johnson is play-calling circles around every defense in the NFL. Johnson's creativity is on a whole other level. - Jordan
In the first half, Shanahan was killing it. He was creative, using motion, misdirection, and play-action. He even had some trick plays in there. In that first half, he was matching Ben Johnson's creativity.
But for some reason, in the second half, the offense didn't look quite the same. They were still doing some of the same things, but not as much. They quit running the ball (only four times in the entire second half). When you don't run the ball, your play-action game becomes less effective, and we saw the results of that.
I don't think Shanahan ran out of creativity, I just think he did what he sometimes does; he became more conservative and vanilla as the game went on.
I don't understand this "the 49ers window is closing" talk. Our core, though older, is still one of the best in the league. Honestly, if we would've had better protection for Purdy this season, we'd have been in the playoff hunt. Thoughts? - Andy G.
I agree with Andy. I don't believe the window is closing on the 49ers. If Shanahan and John Lynch built the best roster in football from scratch, they can rebuild it now with a core of great players.
The only thing I would disagree with Andy about is that I put more blame on the defense than I do the offense. Look at Monday's game against the Lions. There were two back-breaking turnovers. But the defense couldn't stop the Lions. And they haven't taken the ball away from the other team in weeks.
If Moody made his kicks, the 49ers might have won the game. The offense wasn't the problem against Detroit, and it wasn't the problem for much of the season.
I'm specifically asking about defense, but I suppose we could ask this about the offense, as well. What is your take on the inconsistency we've seen all season? At times, I see the defense looking like the Top 5 defense we've seen the last few years... and then they'll have stretches where they just fall apart. Late-game penalties, poor run defense, and anti-clutch play just seem to be the overall story for the defense this year. I'd hopeful an offseason of rest from the Super Bowl Hangover, Sorensen learning from his first year, and a healthy retooled defense will result in a return to form in 2025. - Robbie A.
Here are my reasons for the 49ers' struggles and sloppiness this season:
- Super Bowl hangover, bad vibes from contract disputes, injuries, etc.
- A poor defense that couldn't stop the run, led by a rookie defensive coordinator.
- A weak offensive line, especially at center, left guard, and right tackle.
- Terrible special teams.
- Offensive playcalling that sometimes forgot to run the ball.
The good news is that some of this is not hard to fix. They will need another strong draft to correct some of the other issues, though.
Was it the weight of expectation that played a role in this Niners team imploding? Last night, with nothing to lose, this team looked loose and played with an edge that, in my opinion, they hadn't played with all year. - D. Wight
That's possible. They were so sloppy all season that it makes you wonder if the Super Bowl hangover is a real thing. Maybe the expectations were too heavy, but I tend to think it was more about the exhaustion and disappointment of losing a couple of Super Bowls and a couple of NFC Championship Games.
This team has a lot of pride, so I was not surprised that they played so hard on Monday night. I would have been more surprised if they came out flat.
If Purdy has a serious elbow injury, who do you sign for next year? It seems like the whole 2021 QB class is available. - The Joe49
Shanahan said on Tuesday that Purdy's injury is not considered serious or long-term. Purdy sustained a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation. That sounds bad, but it's not supposed to be anything that affects him for next season.
That said, I would like to see the 49ers bring in someone better than Brandon Allen or Joshua Dobbs. Maybe they won't be able to afford that, but it would be nice to upgrade your backup quarterback.
Can you identify 3 games in which the 49ers either totally blew it, screwed by bad officiating/bad calls that would result in the 49ers still fighting for a spot? -Mr. Grinch
The first two that pop into my mind are the first games against the Rams and Cardinals. If the 49ers would have won those two games, instead of blowing big halftime leads, they may have still won the division. So I would start there.
The third one would probably be the loss at home to the Seahawks. That was another win that escaped late in the game. Win your divisional games first, and you have an excellent chance of getting into the playoffs. Lose those games, and you're likely not making it.
I can see the 49ers targeting the fired Jets staff - who would be good gets for the 49ers off that staff? (BTW - I can't see Robert coming back). - William S.
Last offseason, Shanahan wanted Jets Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who will likely be fired at the end of the season. Might the 49ers go after him again? We all know Sorensen was the third or fourth choice. And despite what Nick Bosa said about wanting him to return, I'm not sure Sorensen has shown enough to be brought back.
What will it take to stop the penalties? Is it coaching? Is it the players? What will it take for the 9ers to be more disciplined? Some of the penalties are very elementary. I feel like the penalties took away a couple of wins this season, including that Kittle catch into the red zone last night that was called back. - Jordan
Yes, penalties have buried the 49ers this season. It's been so bad that, over the past few games, every time there was a flag thrown, I automatically assumed it was on the 49ers. That includes Monday night when multiple big gains were brought back due to penalties.
It's coaching, yes, but it's on the players even more. They're the ones making the mistakes. If it was mostly young players who aren't being taught or developed right, that would be one thing. But it's been some of the star players making the mistakes. That isn't on the coaches.
Happy New Year Marc! Any word on contract extensions? My annual "pay kittle now" post. Why is Roger Craig not getting enough love from the Hall? - Lowbridge
Nothing new on contract extensions. Of course, we all know Purdy will be extended this offseason. And it wouldn't surprise me to hear George Kittle extended, as well. He needs to be a 49er for life.
Regarding Roger Craig not getting the love from the Hall of Fame, your guess is as good as mine. I truly believed he would be selected this year. That was based on our efforts last year in making a push for him to be selected. We had the podcast series that was sent to all the Hall of Fame senior voters. Plus, guys like Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., and Mike Singletary were making calls to voters to plead Craig's case. Montana, for example, was in Ireland but still made calls to voters.
Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, told me he was told last year that 2024 looked like it could be the year for Craig. Valerie Panou, who worked for DeBartolo Sports at the time, and was helping with the Roger Craig project, had a couple of Hall of Fame senior voters tell her the same thing Maiocco was told. So it seemed like this would be the year. But then Craig didn't even make the final nine this year.
Sadly, that may indicate he won't get in. If he was close in 2023, but not in 2024, that's a bad sign. It's frustrating because we all know Craig deserves to be in.
Is it finally time to stop using the wide 9? I hate seeing us get carved up by opposing running backs. Talented RB's like Jahmyr Gibbs don't need head starts. - Andy G.
The wide-nine is prone to struggling to stop the run. And the 49ers were terrible in that category in 2024, and late in 2023. Will they abandon it? I doubt it, especially since Kris Kocurek loves the wide-nine. They've been running this Seattle scheme since 2017, so you have to wonder if they might make a shift in philosophy. If they had been willing to make a change last offseason, they might have been able to hire Vic Fangio instead of allowing him to go to the Eagles. But Shanahan reportedly didn't want to play a 3-4 defense, and Fangio moved on.
Maybe this season will compel him to do something different.
That's all we have for this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag. We'll be back next week for our last one of the regular season. Have a safe and happy new year.