Two coaches arrived in the NFC West at the same time. Kyle Shanahan for the 49ers and Sean McVay for the Rams! Since then, their paths have always been at somewhat of a crossroads. McVay played in the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 when the 49ers couldn’t qualify. Things changed in 2019 when the Niners played in Super Bowl LIV. The Rams couldn’t even qualify for the playoffs. In 2021, McVay won the trophy, while Shanahan failed to win it despite reaching 2 Super Bowls. In 2024, the 49ers failed to qualify for the postseason.
To lift the team out of their misery, Kyle Shanahan has made a simple plan. He wants to follow the path of his divisional rival, the LA Rams. According to The San Francisco Standard reporter, David Lombardi, the franchise wants to lower their average age. What does it mean?
Rams entered 2023 camp with 36 (!) rookies on roster. All 14 draftees made the team.
Look at LA’s 2024 DL construction vs SF’s. Recent rookie adds shaded. 49ers are clearly trying to come close to the LA model, which blossomed late in 2024. Deep dive: https://t.co/n5X1k0Hrx2 pic.twitter.com/IIItImk9ba
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 17, 2025
It basically means they will keep their major players while arranging other players around them. It includes drafting or trading in for younger players at a low charge. And the plan isn’t new. GM John Lynch is the man in charge to recalibrate his team. At the NFL combine, he said, “We need to get younger. Our (2024 draft class) was a great move towards that. We’ll have four picks in the top 100 (in 2025). We’re excited about adding more youth to a great core of players that we already have.”
In 2023, the Rams had 36 rookies. All 14 draftees made the team. Kyle Shanahan wants to do the same thing. In the 2024 defense, the Rams had four 2024 draftees, Two 2024 free agents, and four 2023 Draft picks out of 13 players. Compare that to the Niners! They had no 2024 draft picks and one 2023 draftee out of 11 players.
However, their moves are paying well. The Niners are gaining some momentum as we move deeper into free agency and closer to the draft.
Kyle Shanahan ranks 18th in off-season decisions
When Super Bowl LIX ended, the 49ers would have been disappointed. Or perhaps motivated. The Eagles got their revenge on the Chiefs who had beaten them in the Super Bowl 2 years before. The NFC West team couldn’t even get a sniff of the Super Bowl this year. But they were also defeated by the Chiefs in the Super Bowl LVIII. They’ll be sending up a silent prayer for an attempt at revenge themselves. Regardless, they also need to win back their respect. The HC knows this.
Amid all these ongoing trade wars, the league also released its assessment of the teams’ power ranking after free agency. Surprise! The Niners have gained 3 points and stand 18th in the league. That too, at this point when they haven’t even signed up or drafted the players they need. Till now, they have mostly only released or traded away players.
On the offensive line, they have released Jaylon Moore and Aaron Banks. In the secondary, they have released Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward. Not only in the offense, they also allowed LB Dre Greenlaw to check his value. And when he got an enhanced deal, they wanted him to say no. He said ‘Lol, laterz!’ and walked out the door.
Well, that’s how things work in this league. They would do well if they focused on completing their roster to make it well-rounded before the 2025 draft. Let’s see how they’re ranked around the time pre-season rolls around.
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