At this point of the NFL season, there are a few teams that were widely expected to make the playoffs who are either out of the running or in serious jeopardy of falling out of the race very soon.
One of those teams is the San Francisco 49ers, the defending NFC champions who have been to the conference championship game in four of the previous five seasons and arguably have the most talented roster in the NFL.
But injuries and miscues have resulted in them holding a 5-6 record, and it is looking likely they will be forced to watch this postseason on television instead of participating.
FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd recently said the Niners are dealing with more than just injuries and subpar play.
“There’s a lot of hard questions to ask with San Francisco. … The team feels old, they feel tired, they feel beat up,” Cowherd said on “The Herd.”
“There’s a lot of hard questions to ask with San Francisco… The team feels old, tired and beat up.”
— @ColinCowherd on 49ers 38-10 loss to Green Bay pic.twitter.com/ItDCtraQY6
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 25, 2024
Cowherd mentioned that the Niners have a number of players who are almost at the point in their career where they’re in danger of declining, and therefore the team may have to retool.
Among those players are cornerback Charvarius Ward, tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
San Francisco will almost certainly give quarterback Brock Purdy his first big NFL payday this offseason, and doing so may necessitate jettisoning one or more other starters in order to remain under the salary cap.
One bright spot for the Niners is how well they have drafted over the years, and this year, rookies such as safety Malik Mustapha, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and cornerback Renardo Green will give them options this offseason as far as letting some of their older players leave without it hurting too much.
