Hello everyone, and welcome to the San Francisco 49ers side of Sidelinr Sports! I’m excited to follow all the ups and downs, thrills and spills, and eternal playoff disappointments that come from being a fan of this wonderful team. I’ll endeavour to bring you the best insights and opinions I can.

Some housekeeping: I’m based in the UK, so if I seem a little cranky, well, it’s likely 4am, and I probably am. I’ve been following this team through all the trials and tribulations of the past two decades, no matter the weather and no matter the hour. Like you, I’ve lived through Mike Nolan’s ‘big Sub’ defense (and all that that now implies in 2025, perhaps Coach Nolan was ahead of his time), Mike Singletary wanting ‘winners’, the brief rise like a meteor behind Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick, and the fall to earth of the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly years.

The first game I attended in person (besides a Troy Smith-led victory at Wembley in 2010, thank you, Josh McDaniels and your terrible Broncos) in the beautiful city of San Francisco was under Jim Tomsula, where Mike Smith making one of the worst coaching decisions of all time helped a Blaine Gabbert(!)-led offense to a win. That season was terrible, but as a disabled man with long-held dreams of reaching your shores, the memory of that win and Journey playing afterwards will never leave me.

I returned in 2017 for Kyle Shanahan’s first game in charge, and that went less well. Since then, I’ve been welded to my couch throughout our ‘brick by brick’ rebuild, with wonderful memories of Robbie Gould walk-offs, Dre Greenlaw winning the division by an inch, and the heartbreak of Super Bowl losses. I’m with you all the way, and I’ll be here again in 2025.

Thirty Years of Hurt: The 49ers Since 1995

Over here in the UK, there’s a well-known "soccer" song that goes “thirty years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming.” Given our last Super Bowl was in the 1994 season, but technically won in 1995, it’s starting to resonate with me as a possible summing up of the Niners.

We get let down, we suffer heartbreak, we’ve come as close as any team can on three occasions in my fandom, as well as lost some NFC title games that could’ve led to what I feel were almost certain Super Bowls (thank you, Jaquiski Tartt). Yet we’re still here. So what could 2025 bring?

In truth, I’ve not looked forward to a 49ers season as much as this in many years. While the Super Bowl runs of 2019 and 2023 were amazing, it would be difficult for me to say I saw either coming. After all, we’d come off the second overall pick in the 2019 draft, even if it was Nick Bosa, while uncertainty around Brock Purdy’s elbow in 2023 seemed to dominate the offseason narrative. After that, the seasons were pleasant surprises.

Out With the Old, in With the New Energy for 2025?

According to NBC Sports Bay Area, 2025 has a sense of energetic optimism surrounding it compared to those. Everyone saw the team crumble last year, and could we say it was unexpected? while around 70% of teams make the playoffs the following season, 11 teams have gone less than .500, a stat that now includes both recent 49ers teams under Kyle Shanahan.

Trying to climb the mountain again after just failing to reach the summit is psychologically and physically difficult, not to mention that you often need to deal with an abbreviated offseason.

Shanahan remarked on this himself in an interview following the season-ender with the Arizona Cardinals, saying: "I'd be much more excited to not have one [a long offseason] and to go all the way to February again, but that is tough. When you go that long, everyone needs to get away, and by the time you come back, it’s usually right when free agency’s starting and you're not totally quite there yet. So, it's going to be our first time since I think COVID being off in January. So just being a lot more ahead of that is real exciting and I'm ready to get to it. We've known we're out of the playoffs here for a little bit and everything's about finishing this year up the right way and not cutting anything short, finishing your job. But I also have been able to look to when I can start improving next year and making sure we're not in this position again. And I know that starts Monday."

The 49ers needed all the time they could get in the offseason, too, cutting bait with several highly-paid veterans, including former free-agent prizes like Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd. Many used this as a stick to beat the 49ers with throughout the offseason, seeing it as a ‘setback’ and ‘cost-cutting’, including many prominent local beat-writers. For me, it was more about injecting the team with some much-needed youthful energy. The team looked tired, lethargic, and in the case of players like DeVondre Campbell, demotivated.

The team needed fresh impetus. For anyone who wants to call Jed York cheap as a result, just know that, according to Sportico, the 49ers were the league’s least profitable franchise in 2024. Almost every cent the team earns has gone back into its roster, and frankly, the results weren’t there to justify the amounts outlaid. Big contracts handed out to the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel didn’t exactly see huge returns either, although Aiyuk still has time to reverse things.

The 49ers' Roster Going into 2025

So, here we are, on the cusp of another season, and the team’s been retooled. Adding six draft picks on defense was somewhat of a surprise, but players like Marques Sigle and CJ West seem ready to take on big roles early in the season. To be honest, all of them will need to perform well if the season is to be a success. Fortunately, there are gaps on defense to fill, and the unit has a great new coach in Robert Saleh. If they can start strong, their potential could be limitless. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the hard-hitting Upton Stout in a real game, something we haven't seen yet in preseason due to injury.

Offensively, the team has tied itself to Brock Purdy. When I’m not over a thousand words down, we’ll get into Purdy in more detail, but suffice it to say I think it’s the most positive move the franchise has made at quarterback in a generation. His quick-release, quick-processing style is a perfect fit with Kyle Shanahan, and I’ve loved watching him play. More success in 2025 might finally end the silly questions about his ‘level’.

To do that, of course, the team must win the battle with early-season attrition. I would double the length of this column were I to list each of the injuries the team has right now, but battling some injuries along the offensive line and at receiver will make the opening of the season difficult, particularly in Week 1 on the road in Seattle.

What to Expect in 2025

That said, count me in for another season, because I love the energy coming off this team, and frankly, the coaching staff. I fully expect Robert Saleh to make a huge difference on defense, and the offense will always succeed with Kyle Shanahan at the helm. Those inter-NFC West battles will be important in determining our level of success this season, but more than anything, after the slog of last season, it looks as though 49ers football may finally just be fun again. Let’s hope that’s the case.

A quick start will be necessary, a robust roster will be crucial, but this team can make the playoffs again. Once we're there ... who knows?