The San Francisco 49ers are heading into this offseason with something they didn’t have much of last year: breathing room.
“We will have a little more flexibility this year and we're excited about that,” general manager John Lynch said Wednesday, offering a glimpse into what could be a pivotal few months for the franchise.
Now, that’s not to say the Niners were idle last offseason. They made a major move by locking in Brock Purdy as their franchise quarterback with a significant extension - a clear statement that he’s the guy they’re building around.
But beyond that, things were relatively quiet. The front office had to make tough decisions, and that meant letting go of key contributors like linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, who both landed in Denver.
There were no headline-grabbing signings. No splashy trades.
Just a team tightening its belt after years of going all-in.
“Last year was a huge challenge,” head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted. “Salary cap-wise and what we've gone for, for numbers of years; you can't do that every year.”
And he’s right. The 49ers had been aggressive for several years - signing extensions, making trades, adding high-level free agents - and eventually, the bill comes due. Last offseason, they paid it.
“That wasn't us being cheap or anything,” Shanahan clarified. “We actually spend more, almost as much, or more than everybody. That's what you have to do in the cycle of how it's all based.”
The result? A roster that, while still talented, didn’t have the same depth it once boasted. And when star defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner were lost to season-ending injuries, the cracks started to show.
“That was the hardest thing to overcome - is how many good players we had to let go out of this building that went and helped a lot of other teams,” Shanahan said. “That's why when we did have significant injuries... it was more daunting than it was in years past.”
Lynch echoed that sentiment. Losing players in free agency is always tough, but it’s also a sign that you’ve built something other teams want a piece of.
“I think that spoke to how good our roster was,” Lynch said. “People want what we've kind of created and we’ve built. What our players have built, what Kyle has built.”
Still, even with the injuries and the cap constraints, the 49ers managed to put together a 12-5 regular season and earn a playoff spot. That’s not nothing - especially given the circumstances.
“If you would've told me that we lost those guys before the season with what we were going into, I wouldn't have expected us to have the record and stuff that we did,” Shanahan admitted. “We know some seasons are going to be harder than others... and I am proud, to a degree, of what we accomplished.”
One silver lining to the injury-riddled year? The young guys got their shot.
“We really are excited about the impact that that class is going to have moving forward,” Lynch said of the rookie group. “A lot of guys, because of the injuries, had opportunities to play. Then we get guys back, we’ve got to keep them back.”
So what does this all mean heading into the 2026 offseason? For the first time in a while, the 49ers have cap flexibility, a battle-tested group of young players, and the return of their defensive cornerstones on the horizon. That’s a compelling combination.
Lynch and Shanahan know the window to contend doesn’t stay open forever. But with a bit of financial breathing room, a deeper roster, and their franchise quarterback in place, the Niners are positioned to reload - not rebuild - and make another serious run.