49ers Bounce Back Candidates for 2025
2024 was full of bumps and bruises. From injuries to play-calling, it was a season to forget for the San Francisco 49ers. So, with a fresh start and a longer off-season, who can we see bounce back from the underwhelming 2024 season?
QB Brock Purdy
It all starts with the man under center. Fresh off a massive five-year, $265 million dollar extension that ranks him among the top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, Brock Purdy looks to get back to his MVP-like self. Purdy ranked top five in many qualifying categories in 2023, including Passer Rating (1st), Passing Yards per Attempt (1st), and Completion Percentage (4th). After an injury-riddled season, losing Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey for a majority of the season, Purdy looks to reset and have a bounce-back year in his first season on his second deal in his career.
RB Christian McCaffrey
The heart and soul of the 49ers’ offense. With 2,023 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023, there was no doubt he was going to win Offensive Player of the Year, along with landing himself a spot in franchise history as the only 49er to be featured on the Madden cover (Garrison Hearst was featured in 1999, but that was the European cover of the game). Coming off career-year, McCaffrey battled an Achilles injury that lingered into training camp and ultimately sidelined him for the first eight games of the 2024 season. He then saw the field for four games before suffering a PCL injury that ended his season in week 12. Fast forward to today, McCaffrey and the team have both emphasized that he is “fully healthy” and has zero restrictions heading into training camp. Although, at this time last year, CMC was healthy as well. We can’t be certain of his arrival until he’s on the field week one, but so far he’s had the green light.
“I’m feeling great. It’s been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work. As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, that was my goal was to not miss a day of OTAs, be back, ready to go with nothing hindering me. and that’s where I’m at.” - Christian McCaffrey on his recovery process this off-season.
It seems we may see a glimpse of 2023 McCaffrey all over again. He looks fast, he looks determined, and most importantly, healthy.
WR Brandon Aiyuk
Off the heels of his best season, racking up 1,342 yards on 75 catches and 7 touchdowns in 2023, Aiyuk secured his four-year, 120 million dollar contract last off-season, averaging $30M annually. This came at the cost of the whole off-season, due to Aiyuk holding out until the pen was put to paper on August 29th, 2024, 11 days before the season opener against the New York Jets. Aiyuk went for 374 yards on 25 catches before tearing his ACL and MCL in week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. After another wave of trade rumors, Aiyuk is back in the building, doing well on his road to recovery. He is expected to see the field between week 6 and week 8, per Matt Maiocco.
“Brandon’s doing a tremendous job coming back,” says 49ers GM John Lynch. “These guys that are incredibly skilled athletes, they tend to heal a lot faster. It's kind of incredible how well he's healing, and he's putting in the work. We’re proud of Brandon, and we're looking forward to him being part of this team moving forward.”
We’ll have to see how quickly Aiyuk can get up to full speed once he’s on the field, but being ready for a playoff run should be the priority.
LT Trent Williams
Williams was in the same boat as Aiyuk just a season ago, holding out of training camp until he got his three-year, $82M extension on September 3rd, 2024, just six days before the season opener. Williams then only appeared in 10 games last season before tending to an ankle injury. PFF had Williams ranked #6 in pass-blocking and #8 in run-blocking prior to the injury.
He has also hinted that he plans to play into his 40s, saying, “I could play until I'm 41. Who knows, but that is a goal of mine. I'm definitely not going to retire with some left in the tank.” As one of the best players in the league, hearing he may play another 3-4 years of good football is exciting. Williams has also reported to OTAs, something out of the ordinary for the 15-year veteran. Sounds like something feels different about this year.
It was not a kind season for the 49ers, but when a number of your best players were hurt before or during the season, there’s only so much you can do to compete in the NFL. With all the core players signed and in the building, and a 99% turnout at voluntary OTAs, all we can hope is that a streak of good health is coming. The return of Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey alone could accelerate the 49ers’ own bounce back as they set sights on another NFC title run, and perhaps finally get over the hump of an ever elusive Super Bowl championship.