One more week and we get football games. Then all this speculation, overanalysis, and take-a-thon can come to an end. We can see what the San Francisco 49ers really are.
But the league isn’t too high on the 49ers in 2025, or more specifically, that they can keep giving Brock Purdy all those weapons that he’s had. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe compiled a list of notes on 32 teams in the NFL and gave intel on what other teams are saying about each other. For the 49ers, there were two things. On the negative side, Howe says that “rival executives” are skeptical of the 49ers getting elite talent around Brock Purdy after his extension.
Rival executives sound skeptical of the 49ers’ ability to continue surrounding Brock Purdy with elite talent after they paid their QB this offseason. The Niners already felt the squeeze over the offseason by trading Deebo Samuel, though that was forecast a year ago when they paid fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk. But the strength of the roster was built on high-end contracts, and their depth has been exposed when Niners stars have gone down with injuries. Purdy’s contract is fine in the immediate future, especially if he continues to play well, but the margin for error will begin to shrink in 2028, when his cap hit explodes to $57.6 million.
We don’t know exactly who these rival executives are: NFC West rivals, possible playoff rivals (like Green Bay), or just executives with a grudge. Regardless, the consensus is that with Purdy signing a new contract and the 49ers now having a portion of the salary cap committed to the quarterback, people think the 49ers can’t surround Purdy with elite talent.
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Sure, the 49ers could have difficulty surrounding Brock Purdy, but let’s not act like they’ve been adding these pieces via free agency. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and others were draft picks. Ricky Pearsall seems promising from what we’ve seen, so as long as the 49ers can land some draft picks, I don’t see the skepticism here.
I’m really watching Pearsall this season, one, because of how he’ll be a No. 1 due to all the Jauan Jennings drama, and two, if he can play the part before Aiyuk returns, that’s a piece the 49ers found to put around Purdy.
If Pearsall fits the definition of elite talent, then how many elite players does San Francisco have to draft before people realize the guy getting them the ball is pretty darned good? It’s a bit ridiculous that Purdy did more with his prior weapons than Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, etc., but it’s all them as to why he’s doing well.
There’s also a positive here: the addition of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh:
OK, now for something a little more immediate: Coaches and executives are excited to see defensive coordinator Robert Saleh return to his bread and butter as one of the league’s best play callers.
While I’m tempering expectations of the 49ers a bit, I think the defense will have a massive shot in the arm. Steve Wilks was the equivalent of having level 99 characters in an RPG, simply using random physical attacks and the most powerful spells in the game to take down a final boss. Sure, you could use those characters with a strategy, but it’s not like they were gonna go down easily. Then Nick Sorensen just wasn’t ready, it seemed like. Saleh can have communication issues (see Super Bowl), but there’s no doubt the team will not look like it did in those final moments of the second Seattle Seahawks game in 2024.
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Speaking of the Seahawks, Howe says his intel tells him the Seahawks are a “bigger threat in the NFC than many people expect.” Take from that what you will.
