Kyle Shanahan Tempers Expectations for the 49ers this Season

For the past six years, the 49ers' goal was clear: Win the Super Bowl.

Now, their goal is much different. They have more than $95 million in dead cap space -- tops in the NFL. They also have more than $46 million in cap space, which they're not using because they're not contenders yet. They're rebuilding. And their plan is to roll over their cap space to next year, when they might be more competitive.

Earlier this week, head coach Kyle Shanahan went on Sirius XM NFL Radio and explained why people should temper their expectations about his team this season.

.@49ers HC Kyle Shanahan discussed the makeup of this roster in San Francisco as they prepare for the 2025 season.

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— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) August 13, 2025

"When we got here in 2017, we knew we had a roster that we had to completely change over," Shanahan said. "In the first year, we changed 10 out of 11 guys on offense -- Joe Staley was the only one who remained -- and on defense, we did 8 out of 11. So we had a big turnover, and we did it all with draft picks. You don't hit on every draft pick, but you hit on a lot. And we got some difference-makers that became the core of our group from 2019 to now. We brought in Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams through trades, but everyone else has been homegrown through the draft.

"Fortunately, we've been able to keep some of those guys. And that, to me, is the biggest difference between now and 2017 is that some of these guys that have been here are still here. We have a group of players, whether it's five, whether it's seven, whatever it is, that are difference-makers. Some borderline Hall of Fame players, too.

Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan answers questions from reporters following the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"But when you look at the rest of the roster, that's what reminds me of 2017 and 2018. We need to get guys who are younger so we can afford to keep some of these players. Also, having to pay a quarterback and things like that. Whenever that happens, you do depend on young guys. But when you get young guys, it makes it a little bit more built to last.

"We're kind of in between in those areas because when you have guys like Christian, Trent, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, it's hard to say that you're rebuilding, because you have guys who can carry you. But in the NFL, it doesn't matter how good those stars are -- you have to have the right type of team. And we know we have some young guys who haven't done it yet. But that's what's so big about this year -- we're finding out a lot about these guys every day.

"It will be interesting to see who ends up being part of our 53-man roster, which is more open now than it has been in about six years. But even in Week 1, that's not going to be it. I expect our team in Week 12 or 13 to look a lot different than it did in Week 1. My whole goal is that we get better throughout the year and find a way to hopefully get into those playoffs. And once you get into those playoffs, then you have a chance at anything."

Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches from the sidelines in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Sounds like Shanahan is preparing us for another season like last year, or worse. Because if just two of the 49ers' expensive stars get injured, they'll have trouble winning.

That's because the 49ers have put themselves in salary-cap purgatory. They've spent so much on their aging core of veterans, they can't afford to pay anyone else, and so they're relying on a bunch of rookies and journeymen who don't know the 49ers' culture. As a result, they're a completely different team from the one that went to the Super Bowl two years ago.

Shanahan sounds like a coach who knows his Super Bowl window has closed, and it won't open again unless lots of young, cheap players become stars.

Until then, the 49ers essentially are the West Coast Cowboys -- a star-studded mediocre team.

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