There’s a silver lining for 49ers after their super bowl loss

LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers will hurt for a while. When you lose in overtime in a Super Bowl, there are endless regrets. The 49ers were one fourth-down stop from being champions.

They were clearly good enough to win a Super Bowl; they just got beaten by one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. That math won’t change, but the 49ers should feel like they can get back to yet another Super Bowl, and maybe that time a punt won’t bounce off a blocker for a fumble or they won’t get a key extra point blocked.

 

“We’ll take some time, we’ll get over this and come back next year ready to go,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss.

It’s hard to catch all the green lights a team needs to make a Super Bowl. There’s bad injury luck or just the wrong matchup in a close playoff game — the 49ers were a play or two away from losing to both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions in the NFC playoffs.

But San Francisco’s foundation is as good as any team’s heading into the offseason. The 49ers’ Super Bowl window is far from closed.

Brock Purdy’s contract is huge for 49ers

Brock Purdy’s very low salary is such a common topic of discussion that NFL Honors host Keegan-Michael Key made a joke about it during his monologue.

It’s also a huge reason the 49ers don’t have a lot of concern heading into the offseason. Purdy’s cap hit next season is barely over $1 million, which is ridiculous for a quarterback who just led the NFL in passer rating and started a Super Bowl. That’s one of the biggest edges any team in the NFL has going into the offseason.

The 49ers don’t have any key free agents this offseason. They might like to re-sign defensive end Chase Young, who still has the chance to live up to the potential he showed at Ohio State and in his rookie season before injuries hit, but when San Francisco traded for him, it looked like a rental for a half-season. If he comes back at a reasonable deal, it would be a bonus. Other than Young, there aren’t any big names on the roster about to hit the market.

The 49ers don’t have much cap space. They’re currently projected to be about $570,000 under the cap, according to Spotrac. The 49ers would have to get creative to create enough space for a big signing, and they also have a potential Brandon Aiyuk extension to get done, but the core of a very good team is all under contract for next season.

The 49ers shouldn’t have much worry this offseason. Purdy is a gift that keeps giving.

49ers have plenty of draft picks

The 49ers were very light on picks in the draft last year, due in part to a terrible trade up for Trey Lance, which they somehow overcame to make the Super Bowl. This season, the 49ers are stocked with picks.

San Francisco has 11 draft picks. The 49ers have an extra pick in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. Given the depth of the roster, San Francisco could package some picks to move up.

The 49ers are in position to make some luxury picks because they have so few needs. One area they’ll almost certainly address is the offensive line, which is one below-average part of their roster. It’s also worth noting that standout left tackle Trent Williams is about to turn 36 years old.

Other than the offensive line, San Francisco can continue to stockpile depth on the defensive line in the draft, which is always a priority for them, or perhaps pick a high-end backup to Christian McCaffrey. There aren’t many other pressing concerns, though the Achilles injury to linebacker Dre Greenlaw in the Super Bowl is an unexpected blow they’ll have to account for.

The 49ers have put themselves in a great position by hitting on plenty of draft picks, making great trades for McCaffrey and Williams, and managing the roster and salary cap very well. Finding a plus quarterback for their system with the last pick of the draft was the winning lottery ticket that made their fantastic season possible.

The 49ers spent most of the season considered to be the best team in the NFL or right behind the Baltimore Ravens. Then they led most of Sunday’s Super Bowl. It’s hard to replicate anything in the NFL year after year, but there’s no glaring reason the 49ers can’t be one of the league’s best teams again. Once the 49ers move on from a crushing Super Bowl loss, they’ll see their prospects for next season look pretty strong.