The San Francisco 49ers ended their 2025 campaign with a thud - a lopsided loss to a surging Seattle Seahawks team that exposed some real cracks in the foundation. But if you ask quarterback Brock Purdy, the future isn’t just bright - it’s championship-caliber.
When asked postgame if he believed the 2026 49ers could win a Super Bowl, Purdy didn’t hesitate. “One hundred percent,” he said, with the kind of quiet conviction that doesn’t need a sales pitch.
Now, of course, no quarterback is going to say, “Nah, we’re toast next year.” But this wasn’t just lip service.
Purdy’s confidence felt rooted in something deeper - a belief in what this team still is, and what it could become with the right adjustments. And make no mistake, there are adjustments to be made.
Let’s start with the defense. The departure of Robert Saleh, who’s off to take over as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, leaves a significant void at defensive coordinator.
This isn’t just a clipboard handoff - Saleh’s fingerprints have been all over this defense for years. Replacing him won’t be easy, and whoever steps in will inherit a unit that showed some real vulnerability down the stretch.
Defensive cohesion takes time, and with a new play-caller, early growing pains are a real possibility.
Offensively, the picture is a little more complicated. Down the stretch of the regular season, the Niners were electric - lighting up scoreboards with 40-point performances that looked effortless at times.
But when it mattered most, that offensive rhythm stalled. Seattle’s defense had their number in both matchups, and even against the Eagles, the offense looked shaky at times.
Part of the issue? A lack of reliable weapons.
Purdy needs more help on the perimeter. The wide receiver group has talent, but it’s thin - and with George Kittle expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026 season, the pressure on the passing game only increases.
Kittle’s absence isn’t just about lost yardage; it’s about losing a tone-setter, a guy who brings physicality and swagger to every snap.
The run game, too, wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from a Kyle Shanahan offense. Christian McCaffrey still has the vision, the hands, and the IQ - but the burst that once made him a nightmare in open space seems to have dulled just a bit.
That’s not a knock on McCaffrey; it’s just the reality of wear and tear at a punishing position. If the Niners want to reestablish their ground-and-pound identity, they’ll need to find ways to supplement McCaffrey’s workload or revamp the blocking schemes up front.
And yet, despite all of this - the injuries, the coaching turnover, the inconsistencies - the 49ers still made the playoffs. Not only that, they won a postseason game.
That’s not nothing. It’s a testament to the resilience of the roster and, more importantly, to the growth of Brock Purdy.
When healthy, Purdy led the team to a 7-2 record in his starts, tossing 20 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
Down the stretch, he looked like a quarterback coming into his own - more decisive, more confident, more willing to take calculated risks. He was dancing after touchdowns, firing up the sideline, and playing with a looseness that comes from knowing you belong.
There will still be skeptics. That’s the nature of the position, especially in a league where one bad playoff game can overshadow months of progress.
But Purdy proved something in 2025: he can carry this team even when the stars around him are out. That matters.
The 49ers have questions to answer this offseason - on both sides of the ball. But if they can shore up the defense, add a few more weapons on offense, and get even a fraction of Kittle back late in the year, then Purdy’s bold prediction might not sound so bold after all.
Because if this team gets healthy, gets deeper, and gets a little luck? They’re absolutely in the Super Bowl conversation.