John Lynch Says 49ers are Young and will "Take Some Lumps" in 2025

The 49ers seem to have lowered their expectations, at least for 2025.

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch speaks during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Last season, the 49ers sincerely expected to win the Super Bowl. That's why winning only six games was so shocking and painful.

Now, the 49ers seem to have lowered their expectations, at least for 2025.

General manager John Lynch recently was interviewed by NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco who asked Lynch what the 49ers' goal for this year is.

"At the end of each season, there's one happy team," Lynch said. "Ultimately, that's what will define it. Are we the last team standing?

"Having said that, we've talked a lot about youth...We will be a younger team. It's a young man's game, but you're probably going to take some lumps. It's going to take some time. You're going to have to make some mistakes. That's no excuse -- it's just a reality. I think we will have some young players playing, provided they earn those opportunities. But I think what's exciting with those guys, when they do get their opportunity, once they've gone through those lumps, you're going to really see great improvement. And we have such a good core of really special players, to complement that with some young players from the last couple draft classes, it's an exciting mix. It's all got to come together, but I like where we're at, I like the way we're working."

TRANSLATION: Every team obviously wants to win a Super Bowl, but the 49ers will be starting so many young players on defense that they probably will lose a few games early in the season that they should win, so as long as they improve by the end of the year, they'll have a successful season.

Sounds like a bunch of excuses to me.