It was an extremely tumultuous offseason for the San Francisco 49ers. The summer was littered with off-field drama, some as a result of the 49ers' mismanagement, and others qualifying as outside their control. Either way, the 2024 campaign could qualify as a make-or-break season for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
The 49ers may be lauded for reaching amicable solutions with their two biggest off-field distractions just as the shot clock was about to hit zero. On Friday, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension, ending a months-long holdout that once looked like it would end with a trade. Just a few days later, offensive tackle Trent Williams concluded his holdout by agreeing to a reworked three-year deal.
Shanahan and his coaching staff are now tasked with ramping up Aiyuk's and Williams' participation ahead of Monday night's opener with the New York Jets. Aiyuk and Williams are professionals who should quickly reintegrate, but if there's any lull, San Francisco's offense could really struggle early. The heat could be turned up a notch on Lynch and Shanahan for not resolving those issues earlier.
There's also the Ricky Pearsall situation. By many accounts, the 49ers drafted (reached) Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft as protection against the looming Aiyuk negotiations. With Aiyuk in the fold long-term, rumors have emerged that Shanahan shot down a Deebo Samuel trade, something that'd make financial sense given the commitment made to his younger counterpart.
I’m hearing that the 49ers front office is not pleased with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. pic.twitter.com/fyAzCAUPiY
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) September 3, 2024
Pearsall spent portions of training camp nursing an injury, and he was recently shot in the chest during an alleged robbery attempt. As a result, the 49ers have placed Pearsall on the reserve/NFI list, ruling him out for multiple regular-season contests.
It's worth questioning what his involvement in the offense was even going to be with Aiyuk and Samuel still present—especially with the key role Jauan Jennings plays as well. Perhaps that resource could have been better utilized at offensive tackle, cornerback, or linebacker, which are more questionable areas of Lynch’s roster.
There's one obvious solution that makes this conversation go away. Winning cures all. The 49ers have come painfully close to capturing a Super Bowl under the direction of Shanahan and Lynch, with two Super Bowl and four NFC Championship Game appearances in seven campaigns. Shanahan and Lynch might as well sign lifetime contracts if they finally deliver the ever-elusive Lombardi Trophy.
It's difficult to envision the 49ers outright firing Shanahan after all the success he's experienced. But if this season fails to deliver a Super Bowl, perhaps Lynch will be scapegoated and replaced by a GM with prior experience. If a power struggle ensues between Shanahan and the front office over who has the final say over roster-based decisions, well, the outcome becomes unpredictable.
The 49ers enter 2024 as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. That's been the annual reality and expectation for several consecutive years. If Shanahan and Lynch continue failing to get over the hump, next offseason could get awfully interesting in San Francisco.
