The San Francisco 49ers fell victim to the Super Bowl hangover last season after losing in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs the year prior, and the last-place campaign paved the way for the front office to make a flurry of changes this offseason.
Despite losing a handful of big names, including Deebo Samuel, Leonard Floyd, Talanoa Hufanga, Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw and Jordan Mason, among others, that’s not enough to deter one insider from claiming that the Niners can be “scary again” this season.
Albert Breer said that a return to the Super Bowl shouldn’t be ruled out, given how many young players have potential.
“Defensively, you bring Robert Saleh back (as coordinator). You have Nick Bosa and three top 75 draft picks. … It’s like I think they’re a couple of young players developing away from maybe being back in the Super Bowl. I know that sounds crazy. But if they can just have a few young players, like if Mykel Williams or Alfred Collins or Ji’Ayir Brown or Dominick Puni, who is somebody they really liked going into last year. If they can hit on a few of those guys, Ricky Pearsall, if a few of those guys turn corners, they’ve got a chance to be scary again,” Breer said, via the MMQB.
Albert Breer says the 49ers have a chance to be scary again:
“If they can just have a few young players like Mykel Williams or Alfred Collins or Ji'Ayir Brown or Dominick Puni — who is somebody they really liked going into last year, if they can hit on a few of those guys, Ricky… pic.twitter.com/UvOO2VFATJ
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) July 5, 2025
Most of the young players have big shoes to fill from the departures of all the stars, while others have big new contracts to live up to, particularly quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 49ers had an obvious championship window while Purdy was playing under his rookie contract, but now that he received a five-year, $265 million extension, it’s going to be difficult to stack the rest of the roster the way they had been able to.
It leaves a thinner margin for error and makes it necessary for players like Pearsall and Williams to make an impact while still on their rookie deal.
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