2025 Preview

     The 49ers enter 2025 with a new-coach energy without changing the head coach. Kyle Shanahan stayed, but the coordinators flipped, bringing back Robert Saleh to run the defense and elevating Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator, while Brant Boyer takes over special teams. After a 6–11 collapse in 2024, the assignment is simple. Get younger in the front seven, steadier in the kicking game, and healthier around a franchise quarterback who just got paid. The schedule starts at Seattle on September 7, a good early barometer for how quickly this reboot will take.

The quarterback question that has haunted Levi’s since the Harbaugh years is finally settled. Brock Purdy signed a five-year extension that can reach 265 million dollars and arrives at Week 1 with a cleaner platform than a year ago when the offense was duct tape and prayer. The receivers room is different on purpose. Deebo Samuel was traded to Washington, Brandon Aiyuk is the centerpiece once healthy after a preseason PUP stint, and 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall is expected to matter quickly once he is fully right. To stabilize the floor, the front office grabbed Skyy Moore from the Chiefs and added veteran Russell Gage, who impressed before a minor camp setback. It is not the old fireworks show, but it might be a sturdier group if Aiyuk and Pearsall are active by October.

If the receivers are the question, the running backs are the answer key. Christian McCaffrey is healthy and humming again, Isaac Guerendo flashed all camp, and the club traded for Brian Robinson Jr. to put a little sledgehammer back into short yardage. Rookie Jordan James adds fresh legs that fit Shanahan’s outside-zone cutback world. The plan is obvious. Lean on the run game early while the pass catchers come together, then let Purdy and George Kittle build out the intermediate game as timing returns.

Up front, Trent Williams still sets the tone at left tackle, a blessing for a team bringing along new receivers and backs. The more interesting makeover is on defense, where San Francisco swapped bulk for burst. The club acquired Bryce Huff from the Eagles to flank Nick Bosa on passing downs and drafted Georgia edge terror Mykel Williams at No. 11. When Saleh had a top rush in his first 49ers tour, waves of speed did the damage. He has a similar blueprint now, even after moving on from veterans like Javon Hargrave and losing cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency. Year 2 corner Renardo Green, who graded well in coverage as a rookie, gets a big role opposite Deommodore Lenoir. If Huff’s Jets form reappears and Williams hits typical first-round lift by Thanksgiving, the pass rush can carry a lot of water while the secondary gels.

Special teams mattered last year for the wrong reasons. Boyer’s arrival coincides with a quiet mandate to make Jake Moody boring again, which is the highest compliment you can pay a kicker. Camp reports noted some wobbles, but a calmer operation and better coverage units should follow Boyer’s track record. Field position is currency for a defense that wants to hunt on second and long.

The schedule gives San Francisco a chance to stack competence. Opening at Seattle is rude, but the overall slate is friendlier than last year and the betting markets agree. Most books sit around 10.5 wins for the 49ers, with plus money to win the NFC West and a middle-of-the-pack Super Bowl price. Translation: the market sees a playoff team with real volatility, largely tied to whether the passing game is whole by midseason and whether Saleh’s rush really hits.

Player spotlights make the optimism tangible. Purdy’s touch and processing are still the skeleton key, and now there is a power complement in Robinson next to McCaffrey’s surgical precision. Kittle’s All-Pro blocking and seam work remain a matchup cheat if the receiver room is thin in September. Bosa plus Huff plus Mykel Williams is a front that can swing close games even if the corners are surviving more than thriving early. Green is the breakout pick after a quietly strong rookie year, a type of homegrown starter the team needs post-Ward and post-Dre Greenlaw, who departed in free agency.

Prediction time. Pencil in 10–7 and a wild card, with a ceiling of 12 wins if Aiyuk and Pearsall are rolling by October and the new pass rush arrives on schedule. The floor is 8 wins if injuries linger and the offense leans too hard on McCaffrey. The early swing lies in September at Seattle and later against the Rams. Steal one of those and the path to January football is open. The 2025 49ers are not a nostalgia act. They are a retooled contender with fresh edges, a paid quarterback, and just enough schedule air to make last year feel like a bad dream instead of a new normal.