Years from now, the past few seasons of the San Francisco 49ers will be forgotten, existing as nothing more than mere footnotes in the annals of football history.
Niners general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan assembled a juggernaut in the Bay Area. Seven of their players earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023, which was San Francisco’s third consecutive season with multiple first-team selections. Equipped with one of the most talented rosters in the league, San Francisco made four NFC Championship Game appearances and two Super Bowl appearances over a five-year span.
But despite their talent, the 49ers fell short on the doorstep of glory, failing to capture the franchise’s elusive sixth Lombardi Trophy. The Niners lost their last Super Bowl appearance in overtime, despite holding the Kansas City Chiefs to just one offensive touchdown in regulation.
After an underwhelming 2024 campaign, the roster is being torn down and stripped for spare parts, marking the end of an era that was just a few bounces away from being a dynasty.
Brock Purdy blamed fatigue for 49ers’ shortcomings in 2024
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, who is due to earn a market-setting contract extension this offseason, discussed the team’s shortcomings during a recent appearance on the “Built 4 More” podcast.
"Last year, man, guys were tired," Purdy said. "That season is no joke, and when you go from July of training and everything, all the way to the end of February, and then you really get five weeks off or so [until] you've got to report back, and then you're going again, guys are tired. They're still beat up, their bodies."
San Francisco may not have ended any season with diamond-encrusted rings on their fingers and a Lombardi Trophy in their hands, but the attrition from postseason games counts just the same. Between 2019 and 2023, the 49ers played 12 additional games after the regular season. Those games led to shorter offseasons, more injuries, less recovery and more doubts. Worst of all, each of those postseason runs ended in heartbreak.
"For these guys that are getting older, it's not easy," Purdy said. "And then last year, we just had a lot of things go crazy, like with injuries and whatnot."
Perhaps Shanahan’s staff could have done a better job of helping the team turn the page — the Niners have won just six games and finished fourth in the NFC West in both of the seasons following their Super Bowl losses. Those were the only two seasons since 2018 that San Francisco missed the playoffs. Still, injuries played a significant factor.
The fatigue finally caught up to the Niners, and they fielded a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted team in 2024. The 49ers were the most injured team in the NFL by adjusted games lost, which accounts for injury-related absences to expected starters and key situational players, per FTN Fantasy’s Aaron Schatz.
Niners running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, left tackle Trent Williams, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga played a combined 33 games, per Bleacher Report. Purdy, wide receivers Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, tight end George Kittle, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and defensive end Nick Bosa all missed multiple games.