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The Most Pessimistic Outcome for the 49ers in 2025

So many things could go wrong for the 49ers this season.
Grant Cohn|
Apr 1, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

So many things could go wrong for the 49ers this season.

Their defense could struggle despite the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, as so many rookies are expected to start right away. If Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins in particular aren't big-time players, the 49ers are in trouble.

Next, their special teams could be a big issue again, even though they hired a new special teams coordinator in Brant Boyer. That's because they still have kicker Jake Moody who was a complete head case the first two seasons of his career. Unless he suddenly discovers self confidence, he'll give the 49ers more of the same.

Third, their offense relies on Trent Williams, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey staying healthy and playing at their peak levels. If two of those players fall off this year, the offense will struggle.

Fourth, the offensive line was the worst position group on the team last year, and it got worse this offseason with the losses of Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore. Keep in mind, Brock Purdy got injured twice last season. They can't afford for him to get injured this season.

Finally, head coach Kyle Shanahan seemed old and worn out last year. This job seems to have aged him 20 years since 2017. It's possible he simply is out of fresh ideas, and he no longer has the voice to motivate his team. He might need a fresh start elsewhere, or a year or two off.

In which case, the 49ers probably won't make the playoffs this year. That's the most pessimistic outcome.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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