The 49ers’ good vibes offseason is officially here, but challenges remain

The 49ers should have a spring in their step at OTAs next week following extensions for George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Fred Warner.

It’s the time of the year to be optimistic. The days are longer, the sun is shining (even here in England!) and, most importantly, the 49ers have resolved each of their three contract issues before the start of OTAs.

It’s a turn of events would have seemed impossible last year, when the 2024 offseason and the contract dramas involving Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams laid the foundation for a monstrous Super Bowl hangover and a 6-11 season.

But with George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Fred Warner all signed to long-term extensions, it’s time to officially declare this the ‘good vibes offseason’ for San Francisco, with the surprisingly speedy resolution to the negotiations with their All-Pro tight end, starting quarterback, and All-Pro linebacker allowing the 49ers to focus purely on the matter at hand – getting back to Super Bowl contention.

Last offseason was defined by continual questions over the status of contract discussions with Aiyuk and, to a lesser extent, Williams. Such inquiries will not be required this year, with the distraction of protracted holdouts removed from the picture.

Getting contracts done early does obviously not guarantee a successful season. However, the likes of Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa have spoken in previous years about how their contract sagas impacted their play in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Kittle, Purdy and Warner can attack preparations for the new season without uncertainty surrounding their long-term future hanging over their heads.

That is especially crucial for Purdy, who had spoken openly about wanting to get a deal done before OTAs and can now concentrate solely on furthering his rapport with the likes of Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings and establishing one with new pass-catching additions such as Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins.

The speed with which the 49ers concluded their major business should also serve to help the locker room atmosphere. It sends a message about the team’s willingness to negotiate in good faith and ensures other veteran players do not have to deal with questions about their teammates’ negotiations, as Kittle often did last year when asked about Aiyuk and Williams.

All that said, the remaining months are not without their challenges for the 49ers, who will go into OTA offseason workouts next Tuesday with several questions surrounding the roster.

Arguably the primary two questions concern the secondary. There is reason for doubt around the third cornerback spot. Will the 49ers move Deommodore Lenoir back to outside corner full-time and trust a 5ft 8in third-round rookie in Upton Stout to play the nickel, or will they instead put their faith in Tre Brown to play outside corner on base downs?

Perhaps of even greater concern is the situation at safety. Malik Mustapha is likely to miss the start of the season after tearing his ACL in the 2024 season finale, creating a hole next to Ji’Ayir Brown.

Right now, that hole would appear set to be filled by Jason Pinnock, a free agent signing who is a favorite of Robert Saleh, but a player who allowed a passer rating when targeted of 135.9 last season for the New York Giants. Are the 49ers comfortable with him being the stopgap while Mustapha recovers, or will they turn to the free agent market to bring in another veteran?

Saleh returns for a second spell as defensive coordinator under significant pressure to reverse the slide on that side of the ball from last year, and do so with a largely inexperienced group of players, particularly in the front seven, where there is the potential for the 49ers to have four rookie starters in 2025.

The pressure is not just on Saleh but defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who is tasked with getting the best out of three players the 49ers believe to be high-floor, high-upside picks in the form of Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West.

Similarly, offensive line coach Chris Foerster must again back up his previous words about being able to turn later-round picks into effective starters. The 49ers did not invest in the offensive line in the draft outside of taking Iowa guard Conor Colby in the seventh round, and San Francisco has holes at both left guard and swing tackle going into the season.

Ben Bartch is the favorite to start at left guard. It will be up to Foerster to ensure he is ready to excel in that role and after some positive flashes late last season, while he also has to give the 49ers confidence that they have a viable swing tackle. Spencer Burford and free agent signings Andre Dillard and Nicolas Petit-Frere are all candidates, the latter pair having each endured recent seasons in which they allowed double-digit sacks as starters.

The most compelling positional battle might be at kicker, where the 49ers will have to decide if they are happy to keep former third-round pick for a third season after a nightmare 2024, or play it safe with recently signed veteran Greg Joseph. That decision will be crucial to the 49ers’ hopes of a desperately needed overall improvement on special teams that new coordinator Brant Boyer will hope to oversee.

Above all there is massive pressure on Kyle Shanahan to prove the 49ers can still contend in the wake of a $265 million investment in Purdy. The reality is, though, that his task in doing so will be much easier with a quarterback and a group of star players that are happy, feel fairly compensated and have months to focus solely on their craft without distractions. Vibes don’t automatically translate to wins, but they can certainly help put the team on the right path.