2024 Off-Season

[49er4life1979]

49er sites and some fans keep pushing Belicheck and Carroll as DC candidates. That talk just needs to end. Maybe Carroll is slightly more believable but I've been watching football for 45 years. Successful head coaches that have won super bowl(s) and have been successful coaching over a decade just do not go back to being coordinators. Belicheck and Carroll are both over 70 years old. They no longer need to prove themselves as coaches and are not going to go back to calling plays. George Seifert was younger than both and after leaving SF never considered becoming a coordinator again even though he easily could have became one.

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

[Pattersonca65]

49er sites and some fans keep pushing Belicheck and Carroll as DC candidates. That talk just needs to end. Maybe Carroll is slightly more believable but I've been watching football for 45 years. Successful head coaches that have won super bowl(s) and have been successful coaching over a decade just do not go back to being coordinators. Belicheck and Carroll are both over 70 years old. They no longer need to prove themselves as coaches and are not going to go back to calling plays. George Seifert was younger than both and after leaving SF never considered becoming a coordinator again even though he easily could have became one.

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

[49er4life1979]

49er sites and some fans keep pushing Belicheck and Carroll as DC candidates. That talk just needs to end. Maybe Carroll is slightly more believable but I've been watching football for 45 years. Successful head coaches that have won super bowl(s) and have been successful coaching over a decade just do not go back to being coordinators. Belicheck and Carroll are both over 70 years old. They no longer need to prove themselves as coaches and are not going to go back to calling plays. George Seifert was younger than both and after leaving SF never considered becoming a coordinator again even though he easily could have became one.

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

Vrabel possibly. But like Wilks, he would be an outsider and I am not sure he meshes with Kyle....On another note, I didnt realize Azeez Al-Shaair only signed a 1 year deal with the Titans. So he is the LB I go after in free agency - maybe another 1 year deal to replace Greenlaw for the time being and add more depth. Unless they are sure Dee Winters is ready.

[wco81]

They have to assume that Greenlaw will never be the same player again, so look to draft a long-term replacement.

We saw this story with Bowman coming back from injury.

[49er4life1979]

They have to assume that Greenlaw will never be the same player again, so look to draft a long-term replacement.

We saw this story with Bowman coming back from injury.

Yea although achilles injury treatments have advanced significanly. Look at Cam Akers and especially Aaron Rodgers. Hopefully Dre calls up Rodgers to ask what he did to expedite it.

[Harry Palmer]

49er sites and some fans keep pushing Belicheck and Carroll as DC candidates. That talk just needs to end. Maybe Carroll is slightly more believable but I've been watching football for 45 years. Successful head coaches that have won super bowl(s) and have been successful coaching over a decade just do not go back to being coordinators. Belicheck and Carroll are both over 70 years old. They no longer need to prove themselves as coaches and are not going to go back to calling plays. George Seifert was younger than both and after leaving SF never considered becoming a coordinator again even though he easily could have became one.

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

[GS Warriors 1]

I guess I'll do my own breakdown:

Offense:

QB - Purdy, Darnold (another vet?), rookie - I think they are taking a QB in day 3 of the draft, which could raise some eyebrows, but we get the feeling Shanahan seemingly looks at QB's every draft, so they'll nab their first since 2022. They appeared to have some targets in 2023 that didn't come to fruition. Backup will be Darnold or a vet, just not quite sure who, but they seem to like Sam if he doesn't get a starter battle spot elsewhere.

RB - McCaffrey, Mitchell, Mason - Not sure they add a 4th in the draft, but they'll have camp bodies and make a possible decision from there.

FB - Juszczyk - Not much else to be said, he's a lock.

WR - Aiyuk, Samuel, Jennings, Bell, Gray - Probably a group where they add, those last 2 names are going to battle to make the team. Jennings is an RFA, so I'm expecting a 2nd round tender for him. Yeah, I think there's room for an Aiyuk extension, but could the team soft shop him like they did with Samuel? Possible. The 49ers are going to want a #1 for him.

TE - Kittle, Latu, Willis - They did carry 4 in 2023, but leaning toward this in 24. Latu seemed to get good reviews as a blocker, just not consistent enough catching. Willis has enough athleticism to be interesting, like him in an HBack type role.

OL - Williams, Banks, Brendel, FA, rookie RT(?), Moore, Burford - Need a couple upgrades on the line, namely right side. Feliciano and Burford rotating just means you don't have a guy that is ultimately trusted. Loaded rookie class at OT, especially early. Would not shock me at all if the 49ers get aggressive and move up in round 1 for a specific target. I'd just cut McKivitz.

Defense:

DL - Bosa, Armstead, Hargrave, (Ferrell? FA?), Jackson, Beal, FA vet rusher, FA/draft DT's - Team added pass rushers at the deadline, and they disappointed. Ferrell was having a good season before the injury, 49ers just didn't have the replacement on base downs. Good chance they bring back Ferrell and I do think they're a market for vet, ring chasing pass rushers. Gonna need tackle depth in FA and draft, they're likely losing Kinlaw and Givens.

LB - Warner, Greenlaw, Winters, Graham - We'll see if they add here with Greenlaw out, could say a lot about their young LB's if they don't.

CB - Ward, Lenoir, FA?, Thomas, Womack, Luter - Not much trusted depth after the first 2, with the pending cap space after restructures, this could be a position where they spend on a starter, I'm of the belief you need 3 starters at CB. I think Oliver gets cut.

S - Brown, Hufanga, Odum, FA or draft? - I think it's set up for Brown to pair with Hufanga. Could see them add in FA or draft.

ST - Moody, Wishnowsky, Pepper - Don't see changes here.

[zman1]

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

BB seems pretty ridiculous at first thought. But what if Kyle sees a guy who next year could get this team over the hump next year? We are still in that small window with such a veteran team.

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[Harry Palmer]

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

BB seems pretty ridiculous at first thought. But what if Kyle sees a guy who next year could get this team over the hump next year? We are still in that small window with such a veteran team.

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I mean, it would be interesting. Odds of drama pretty high, definitely keep us high up on the roundtable circuit. And oddly it could either mean Kyle has complete security or the first sign he’s feeling the heat. But I just think there are too many cons/risks on both sides. Like as unlikely as I think it is for Kyle to do…two control freaks in the same space is an implosion waiting to happen as one for instance…I think getting BB on board would be an even higher hurdle. Hey, never say never, BB is in a place he hasn’t been or expected to be in for decades, so there’s some uncertainty, but…I’d be very, very surprised.

[Pattersonca65]

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

BB seems pretty ridiculous at first thought. But what if Kyle sees a guy who next year could get this team over the hump next year? We are still in that small window with such a veteran team.

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It isn't about what Kyle might want. A 72 year old HOF multiple super bowl winning coach is not going to take a demotion back to a DC.

[Pattersonca65]

Yea that talk is just ridiculous. Either the people saying that are just being sarcastic, or they are complete idiots. Brandon Staley however is the one name going around in league circles. Ex Rams DC and Chargers HC. And from what I read he's very open to running the preferred Seattle Cover-3 or something very similar to it that he already ran as DC. My preference would be Gus Bradley but he's already a DC with the Colts.

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

He has been in the NFL as far back as the mid 1980s. I don't think he wants to coach that badly. It would be like a former two term president of the US going baak to run for governor of a tiny state.

[Harry Palmer]

Alot of fans are actually serious. They actually think BB would come to SF to be the new DC. It defies history and common sense. Brandon Staley is being mentioned often. Then there is Vrabel. Not sure how viable that one is.

The only aspect to BB as a legit possibility are his extreme hunger to be in the game and his general unorthodoxy which means harder to predict, but yeah those are overwhelmingly offset by all the reasons it wouldn’t ever happen. Carrol I agree all things being equal is marginally less super unlikely but imo he’s also a bit more…normal?…than BB so therefore somewhat easier to see behaving exactly as expected and wanting no part of this.

He has been in the NFL as far back as the mid 1980s. I don't think he wants to coach that badly. It would be like a former two term president of the US going baak to run for governor of a tiny state.

Agreed. Only caveat is…he’s a weird guy, so there’s a bit of who knows. But there are just so many more reasons for it not to happen than for it to happen. As just another he has very mixed feelings about the Niners, when he talks about developing his ~ philosophy he gives Walsh a ton of credit but also kind of raises the Niners as a ~ idealogical nemesis.

[thesack12]

I guess I'll do my own breakdown:

Offense:

QB - Purdy, Darnold (another vet?), rookie - I think they are taking a QB in day 3 of the draft, which could raise some eyebrows, but we get the feeling Shanahan seemingly looks at QB's every draft, so they'll nab their first since 2022. They appeared to have some targets in 2023 that didn't come to fruition. Backup will be Darnold or a vet, just not quite sure who, but they seem to like Sam if he doesn't get a starter battle spot elsewhere.

RB - McCaffrey, Mitchell, Mason - Not sure they add a 4th in the draft, but they'll have camp bodies and make a possible decision from there.

FB - Juszczyk - Not much else to be said, he's a lock.

WR - Aiyuk, Samuel, Jennings, Bell, Gray - Probably a group where they add, those last 2 names are going to battle to make the team. Jennings is an RFA, so I'm expecting a 2nd round tender for him. Yeah, I think there's room for an Aiyuk extension, but could the team soft shop him like they did with Samuel? Possible. The 49ers are going to want a #1 for him.

TE - Kittle, Latu, Willis - They did carry 4 in 2023, but leaning toward this in 24. Latu seemed to get good reviews as a blocker, just not consistent enough catching. Willis has enough athleticism to be interesting, like him in an HBack type role.

OL - Williams, Banks, Brendel, FA, rookie RT(?), Moore, Burford - Need a couple upgrades on the line, namely right side. Feliciano and Burford rotating just means you don't have a guy that is ultimately trusted. Loaded rookie class at OT, especially early. Would not shock me at all if the 49ers get aggressive and move up in round 1 for a specific target. I'd just cut McKivitz.

Defense:

DL - Bosa, Armstead, Hargrave, (Ferrell? FA?), Jackson, Beal, FA vet rusher, FA/draft DT's - Team added pass rushers at the deadline, and they disappointed. Ferrell was having a good season before the injury, 49ers just didn't have the replacement on base downs. Good chance they bring back Ferrell and I do think they're a market for vet, ring chasing pass rushers. Gonna need tackle depth in FA and draft, they're likely losing Kinlaw and Givens.

LB - Warner, Greenlaw, Winters, Graham - We'll see if they add here with Greenlaw out, could say a lot about their young LB's if they don't.

CB - Ward, Lenoir, FA?, Thomas, Womack, Luter - Not much trusted depth after the first 2, with the pending cap space after restructures, this could be a position where they spend on a starter, I'm of the belief you need 3 starters at CB. I think Oliver gets cut.

S - Brown, Hufanga, Odum, FA or draft? - I think it's set up for Brown to pair with Hufanga. Could see them add in FA or draft.

ST - Moody, Wishnowsky, Pepper - Don't see changes here.

Curious as to why you would want to outright cut McKivitz?

While he's far from ideal, and we would all love to see an upgrade at RT, dude is a serviceable player while being cheap labor. at $2.5 mil His cap figure is 27th highest for right tackles, and of course there are only 32 starters. At the very least he's a cheap depth piece/insurance policy.

To give some context on cost, Mike McGlinchey is making $18.5 mil/season. So short of a draft pick, and we all know Kyle's reluctance to lean on rookies, it will be pretty tough to get an upgrade at RT for anything remotely close to Colt's cost.

While I don't have high hopes for him, there is also a decent chance we haven't seen McKivitz's ceiling. He only had around 400 snaps under his belt coming into this season, which was his first as a regular player let alone a starter. So with experience gained this season, we could see some natural growth and maturation as a player. Having said that, next year will be his age 28 season so he may not have much upside left in him.

[Harry Palmer]

No one here too concerned about Aiyuk’s seemingly less than ideal enthusiasm about the team?

[CrimsonCrew]

No one here too concerned about Aiyuk’s seemingly less than ideal enthusiasm about the team?

Not at this point. But we'll see. He's frustrated they lost, frustrated he wasn't used more, could be frustrated that he's not a clear #1 receiving option in this offense (though when he's had that chance, he hasn't shone). But this will probably sort itself out, and if it doesn't, we'll probably trade him for a pretty good package.

[thesack12]

No one here too concerned about Aiyuk’s seemingly less than ideal enthusiasm about the team?

Its a concern, but he expressed those thoughts almost immediately after getting his heart ripped out losing the Super Bowl in a walkoff fashion. So could of just been pure emotion in the moment.

If he's still saying similar things in March, April etc then I would give it more food for thought. Remember Deebo requested a trade before his contract got resolved. Not talking about the team in a glowing light is becoming more and more common with contract questions swirling is just kind of part of the evolution of negotiating.

Having said that, we can't forget that Kyle had Aiyuk doghouse'd for a sizable portion of the '21 season. While that sure seemed to catapult Aiyuk's career, perhaps Brandon has not let go of that and still holds a grudge.

[wco81]

No one here too concerned about Aiyuk’s seemingly less than ideal enthusiasm about the team?

Not at this point. But we'll see. He's frustrated they lost, frustrated he wasn't used more, could be frustrated that he's not a clear #1 receiving option in this offense (though when he's had that chance, he hasn't shone). But this will probably sort itself out, and if it doesn't, we'll probably trade him for a pretty good package.

I thought it was more about whether the team would pay him, on top of Deebo, Kittle and CMC.

[thesack12]

I'm not really loving the Brandon Staley talk.

While he lead great defense in his lone year with the Rams, that unit had a ton of talent. When he became the Chargers HC, their defenses were consistently bad being in the bottom 3rd every year of his tenure. They were especially bad against the run.

Staley's game management is also highly questionable. He tends to gamble a lot with a lot of high risk decision making. Perhaps some of those tendencies can be reigned in if he's not wearing the HC's hat, but Kyle has a pretty conservative style and prefers his DC's to have similar styles.

Staley's 3-4 base scheme also doesn't align with the 49ers' 4-3 preference.

[49er4life1979]

I'm a little surprised that Wilks got canned, but not shocked.

Despite being more talented than last season the defense took a clear step back, the run defense especially crumbled. Despite having probably the most talented DL in the NFL, the pass rush was non-existent for LONG stretches. The DL consistently struggled to set edges in the run game, and to contain mobile QB's

There were far too many times when the defense was just flat out bad. The 3 game losing streak, they were straight up terrible which included getting worked over by a PJ Walker led Browns offense. The first half of the Packers and Lions game is as bad as you will ever see a defense play in a playoff game, and they did it in back to back games.

The defense consistently struggled to get off the field on 3rd down. There were more than a handful of games where it got deep into the 3rd quarter even the 4th and we are wondering if/when the first punt will happen. And my god were they absolutely DEPLORABLE in 3rd & Long situations.

The super soft coverage was downright infuriating at times, and made things far too easy for the offense. The most glaring examples of this were in the Super Bowl on the 2nd and 13 play late in Overtime before the snap Romo mentioned and drew on the screen to highlight the soft ass zone look, and sure enough MVS sat down right in that wide open zone and got an easy 7 yards, making it a manageable 3rd down, which they inevitably converted. Secondly, that first Rams game was soft ass zone coverage the entire game that Puka and Stafford picked apart the entire game.

There were some positives from Wilks' defense. The DB's had a good year. Ward had an all pro year, Lenoir was a very solid #2 CB, and Wilks made Ambry Thomas look like a passable NFL player like 25% of the time, and Tig Brown was solid stepping in for Hufanga. The coverage overall held up pretty well this season, especially considering the DB's were consistently forced to hold coverage for extended periods because the pass rush couldn't get pressure on the QB.

Wilks made some fantastic 2nd half adjustements numerous times this season. Which is great, however that also reflects on the poor game plans he had going into games.

Probably the most damning thing for Wilks, is not being able to get a Super Bowl winning stop despite having 2 cracks at it. The failure in overtime was especially bad. Giving up a TD was LITERALLY the only thing the defense couldn't do. Any other result to that possession would have sufficed. A turnover or stop = 49ers Super Bowl Champs, a FG = Offense gets the ball back in a sudden death first score wins situation. Yet, the defense gaggs the game away allowing the 1 thing that they couldn't do.

At the end of the day, under Wilks the defense was more talented and enjoyed better health than the defenses of the last few seasons. Despite that, the defense regressed.

Wilks seems like a good dude, and he'll land on his feet. That said, I don't think he will be missed much, although at some point not having any continuity with defensive bosses for the past several seasons might start taking a toll in a negative way.

I agree with you on Wilks totally, but they also should've fired Schneider as ST coach. Kickoff coverage was terrible this season, return units both kick and punt sucked, blocked FGs and extra points, the fumble blunder in the Super Bowl. Not saying I disagree with firing Wilks, but Schneider was just as deserving if not more. The way it ended with only Wilks, it definitely makes it look like they wanted a scapegoat. And the media is ripping them to shreads.

[Harry Palmer]

So far the Niners are making very different noises about the Aiyuk situation than they made about Deebo or Bosa. Now especially during the Bosa thing they took a lot of heat for maybe over optimism, so this could just be a lesson learned, but I think it’s pretty clear something is different.