49ers' Super Bowl window seems to be slamming shut (for now)

The San Francisco 49ers were, by pretty much every objective measure, one of the NFL’s best teams between 2019-23. They played in four conference championship games, played in two Super Bowls and won at least 10 games in four of the five seasons during that stretch.

As good as that era was, all anybody is going to remember it being is a gigantic missed opportunity because they never actually won the Super Bowl. 

Even worse, they blew 10-point leads in the two Super Bowls they did reach.

Now it might be a while before they ever get back to that level given what we have seen transpire over the first two days of the NFL’s legal free agency tampering window. 

The 49ers roster has already been gutted this offseason as the team has said goodbye to 11 key players, including several high-end starters.

That list is extensive, and includes the likes of Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrove, Talanoa Hufanga, Leonard Floyd and Kyle Juszczyk, among others. 

They have not brought in anywhere near the same talent back, and there remains a chance more changes could be made if the team were to do something else drastic, like trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

That sound you heard might have been this core’s Super Bowl window emphatically slamming shut. 

Part of this is the harsh reality that comes from having to pay starting quarterback Brock Purdy a major contract in the near future. The 49ers were able to beef up their roster in recent years because Purdy was giving them high-level play on a seventh-round draft pick contract. That is a huge advantage and creates a lot of flexibility.

With Purdy in line for a huge payday, some cuts were going to have to be made.

Part of if it is the fact the 49ers whiffed on some recent offseason moves and were not able to keep building up the depth around their stars. That includes long-term contracts for Samuel and Aiyuk that they might have quickly regretted. 

Another part of it is just the attrition that comes with age in the NFL. Tight end George Kittle is going to be 32 this season. Left tackle Trent Williams is closing in on the end of his career, while they have not really beefed up the line around him. Christian McCaffrey is going to be at an age this season, 29, where running backs historically start to fall apart, while already having three major season-ending injuries in his career, including one that ended his 2024 season. 

Having flaws on your roster is the reality that comes with a salary cap league. No team or roster is ever going to be perfect, especially when they have a lot of good players that require big contracts. That is especially true when the quarterback is about to become one of those contracts. But if your quarterback is good enough to overcome those flaws, there is still a chance for the championship window to remain open. It remains to be seen if Purdy is that type of quarterback. 

If he is not, the 49ers could be set to take a bit of a step back after a pretty strong run of success. It also likely means that Super Bowl drought is going to continue on for a few more seasons.