We’ve seen offseason fireworks from the 49ers, but these moves have a different vibe
Perhaps the most dramatic 49ers offseason I’ve ever seen happened in 2015.
That was my second offseason on the beat, coinciding with the “mutual” departure of Jim Harbaugh and subsequently his coordinators, Greg Roman and Vic Fangio, who continued their successful coaching careers elsewhere.
(Warning: the next few paragraphs might be triggering.)
Linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive lineman Justin Smith retired after being two of the most important players on one of the era’s most imposing defenses. Chris Borland, who looked like the next Zach Thomas after a fine rookie season, called it quits after one year, citing head injuries, and has since become one of the NFL’s most vocal figures in raising awareness for brain trauma.
The franchise’s all-time leading rusher, Frank Gore, left in free agency. He remains one of the most beloved players in team history and has climbed to third on the NFL’s all-time rushing list in the five years since. Michael Crabtree, the only receiver drafted by the team to have a 1,000-yard season since Terrell Owens, signed with the Raiders.
Offensive linemen Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis were lost to free agency and retirement, respectively (though Davis briefly came back to San Francisco in 2016 only to retire again). Fullback Bruce Miller was arrested for spousal battery, over a year before he would get arrested in San Francisco for assault just before the start of the following season.
That 49ers team was coming off a disappointing 8-8 campaign that followed up three straight trips to the NFC title game and a Super Bowl appearance after the 2012 season. Harbaugh’s clash with CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke was chaotic and dramatic, evident by the fallout over the next few months.
Just about everything that happened in spring of 2015 was bad news. It was an avalanche. The once-proud franchise was crumbling like the Roman Empire. It led to a stretch of three coaches in three seasons — Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly — before the 49ers appeared to right the ship with the hiring of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, who helped the team reach the Super Bowl in their third seasons at the helm.
I bring up 2015 to say this: the 2021 offseason has felt just as dramatic. Only in the opposite direction. The 49ers are making moves and trending toward another run at championship contention through a series of additions, unlike the mass exodus post Harbaugh.
This is a crucial offseason for Shanahan and Lynch, who had to navigate a shrinking salary cap, the potential of losing a slew of starters in free agency, and an uncertain quarterback situation after Jimmy Garoppolo had his second of three seasons derailed by leg injuries.
Yet all those questions have been answered with aplomb.
The 49ers retained left tackle Trent Williams on a record setting six-year, $138 million deal that sets up like a pair of three-year contracts coinciding with the salary caps expected boom in 2023. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk returned to remain the avatar for Shanahan’s run-heavy, versatile offense. Resurgent cornerback Jason Verrett returned on a palatable two-year, $10 million contract.
Other questions in the secondary were answered with the return of free agents K’Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt and Emmanuel Moseley. All-decade center Alex Mack reunited with Shanahan to stabilize the position after three players started games there in 2020. Mack played for Shanahan in Cleveland and Atlanta, and has now signed with Shanahan as a free agent twice after joining the Falcons in 2016, helping the team reach the Super Bowl in his first season.
The most notable (pending) loss of the offseason? Richard Sherman, who played in just five games in 2020 due to lingering calf and Achilles injuries. Sherman, 33, has had preliminary conversations about returning to the 49ers, but nothing is imminent. Last season’s sack leader, Kerry Hyder, left for the Seattle Seahawks, as did cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
The success of this offseason revolves entirely around Trey Lance, in whom the team invested three first-round picks to become the long-term antidote to Garoppolo’s injuries — and potentially become one of the league’s next star quarterbacks. And despite the somewhat uncertain quarterback situation, the 49ers are one of the favorites in the NFC to return to the Super Bowl despite going 6-10 last season.
The move to trade up for Lance was made possible by retaining Williams, who nearly took a competitive offer from the Kansas City Chiefs. Solidifying the left tackle spot could have been the difference between getting Lance while also trying to contend, versus tearing things down and using 2021 as a quasi-rebuild.
“There was no set plan,” Shanahan said in March. “But we also knew, ‘Hey, in free agency, the way this salary cap just went, there’s a chance we won’t be able to sign back many of our own guys.’ That’s what our players and us were worried about all season. That was tough to go through that and fortunately for the 49ers, we were able to, but you never knew that until free agency.”
The 49ers likely won’t have the league’s best defense as they did in 2019 when they reached the Super Bowl. Nick Bosa is coming off last season’s ACL tear, Dee Ford’s back injury makes his status uncertain, DeForest Buckner now plays for the Indianpolis Colts. It’s unclear what awaits for Sherman, who was a second-team All-Pro that year.
But they could be more dangerous on offense with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel growing at receiver, the injection of promising running backs Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell along with second-round guard Aaron Banks, giving the 49ers four former first-round draftees and a second-round pick along their front five.
Finally, there’s a feeling of optimism around the team that feels unique. The 49ers had just about perfect attendance at the voluntary portion of the offseason program despite the NFL Players Association advising players to stay away. The only absences have come from Bosa and Ford, who are working their way back from injuries. Even linebacker Fred Warner, who is participating despite not having a new contract, feels the urgency to help the team improve ahead of a critical season.
“I know this is a big part of not only my growth,” Warner said, “but the team as a whole getting out here working together, seeing things, playing ball, it just sets up that foundation that you want to then work into the season and be firing like you want to. So, I never hesitated on (showing up).”
Those all seem like reasons to be optimistic about the 49ers bouncing back. That’s unlike 2015, when just about everything seemed to be going the other direction.
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 7:17 AM.
