If this year's draft is anywhere near as good as last year's haul the NFL had better watch the fuck out. This Rams team will be built for years.
The Niners are looking at a SB window on the verge of closing. This was supposed to be their Lombardi run year. Now they are in the red in the cap and will have to release some and restructure others which only increases their long term debt. Either way they could be fighting to play second in the NFCW with the Seahawks looking to rebound.
The Niners have some decisions to make and none of them good. Run back? To what? At this point for them nothing but a Lombardi will do. They had their shot with the best team they could build. Now they will have to at least partially dismantle their roster to get under the cap and meet their draft cap needs among other things. They have a top heavy roster with zero room. Poor cap management by their GM. Right now they have 10 contracts that are over $14 M for just 2024. They were laughing at Snead's fuck them picks? At least Snead got a Lombardi to show for it.
The Niners signed both GM Lynch and HC Shanahan to extensions last year they were so confident of winning a Super Bowl this year. Shanahan raised a lot of questions marks about his coaching in the Super Bowl. Lynch and his cap management have to be questioned as well. They went all in and busted. This is more like poker, all or nothing, not like horeshoes. Close gets you nothing but heartache.
The Lions got close but they are a young team with room to grow. The Rams showed huge promise last year. The Niners will probably use their first round pick on a LT, which leaves them with 3 picks on day two. The problem is not the draft but making cap room. They are $3.7M in the red right now. Releasing Trent Williams who is 36 yrs old with a dead cap of $10.7M (as a post June 1 transaction) would free up $20.8M in cap. But considering they are in the red and having to sign their draft class that would leave them about $10-$11M in cap space. Most teams want about $5M free space to start the season. That leaves very little to do much in the offseason unless they cut someone else or restructure which only deepens their long term debt. That's why I think they are more likely to lose at least 2 of their expensive players this year.
They can be a decent team this coming year but then what? They have two more years of a cheap Purdy contract. In 2026 he will be a UFA and his contract will be huge.
The 49er future has more question marks than potential. Yeah, this year's team will be good but if 2023's team couldn't get it done what makes anyone confident that 2024's team can do it? I for one don't see it happening. I think they will end up at best second in the NFCW.