The 49ers are in the spotlight as they look to bounce back from a dreadful 2024, while Brock Purdy has to live up to a lucrative contract extension.
It’s not exactly a secret that the San Francisco 49ers are under pressure going into the 2025 season. FanDuel Sportsbook disagrees as they believe the Niners will once again return to the playoffs based on their win total projections.
Pressure comes with the territory of being a team that has consistently gone agonizingly close to winning a sixth Super Bowl title, only to come up short year after year. After a 2024 season that saw them follow up an overtime defeat in Super Bowl 58 with a dismal — albeit injury-hit — 6-11 season, there is a huge emphasis on the Niners to get back to their best in 2025.
In the wake of an offseason of significant change, several members of the 49ers organization will be under the spotlight throughout the 2025 campaign. For this week’s question, we’re asking you which member of the 49ers has the most to prove in 2025.
Here are your four options:
Kyle Shanahan: The 49ers’ head coach is widely regarded as one of the best of his generation, but he will be forever scrutinized until he gets San Francisco over the top. The 49ers still had one of the most efficient passing games in the NFL last season, even as injuries took hold, but they took a step back in the run game without Christian McCaffrey. With McCaffrey back but the cast at wide receiver much changed, Shanahan will be under pressure to prove he can help get the offense backfiring on the level it did in 2023.
Brock Purdy: The 49ers’ quarterback did not push for a market-setting contract in his negotiations with San Francisco. However, a $265 million extension naturally brings expectation along with it. Purdy produced some of his best football in less-than-ideal circumstances last season. In his third full season as the starter, Purdy will be expected to take another step forward and, in a 49er offense evolving into a more dropback-heavy attack, provide further evidence he is a signal-caller with the ability to elevate those around him.
Robert Saleh: San Francisco had to wait for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaching search to come to a conclusion before they could bring Saleh back for a second spell as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Saleh had the 49er defense firmly established as one of the best in the league in 2019 and 2020, and DeMeco Ryans kept that group there for two seasons following his departure. Things were a little rockier under Steve Wilks before a precipitous decline with Nick Sorensen as DC last season. After investing heavily in a revamp of the defensive line, the 49ers will be looking for Saleh to work his old magic and quickly deliver a defensive resurgence.
John Lynch: Lynch won’t have any influence on the on-field results, but, as the face of the 49ers front office, perception of the job he is doing as general manager will largely be defined by the performance of San Francisco’s 2025 rookie class. Years of ineffective drafts have left the 49ers with an aging and top-heavy roster. After encouraging signs from the 2024 class, the Niners will need the likes of Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and CJ West to excel in their likely prominent roles this season. If they don’t, more questions may be asked about Lynch’s position as GM.
So, 49ers fans, who among this quartet has the most to prove in 2025?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in San Francisco 49ers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.