Le Journal

His mind.

What did she say?

The San Francisco 49ers took a different approach to free agency this past offseason, electing to shed veteran salaries and clear their books more, while also letting several players depart in free agency. In return, the 49ers didn’t make any major splash signing, with Luke Farrell’s three-year, $15.75 million contract being the biggest they handed out. The goal was to get younger and cheaper, while also having the cash to extend key players. So, the 49ers made all 11 of their draft selections, while extending Brock Purdy (five years, $265 million), George Kittle (four years, $76.4 million), and Fred Warner (three years, $63 million). They looked to replace the departures on defense via the draft, as they took players on that side of the ball with their first five picks in April. It looked like a bit of a transitional period for the 49ers, who still kept a number of blue-chip players but were also looking to develop younger pieces. Well, they had quite the season, despite losing Warner and Nick Bosa to season-ending injuries, winning 13 games, and making the NFC Divisional Round. Now, with core players getting one year older, will the 49ers look to spend more in free agency this offseason? At the team’s end-of-year press conference, head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that they did take a different approach last offseason because of their spending in previous years, which made the team’s success even more impressive. “Yeah, that is a broad question. Good one,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said about the team potentially spending more in free agency. “I mean, last year was a huge challenge. Salary cap-wise and what we’ve gone for, for numbers of years, you can’t do that every year. That’s the way it’s set up. And we had done that too many years in a row, so we had to make a decision to cut on money last year. That wasn’t us being cheap or anything. We actually spend more, almost as much, or more than everybody. That’s what you have to do in the cycle of how it’s all based. “And more so than the injuries, that was the hardest thing to overcome is how many good players we had to let go out of this building that went and helped a lot of other teams. That’s why when we did have significant injuries to some very good players, yeah it was more daunting than it was in year’s past because some of the guys we would’ve hung on, when you lose a guy like Fred or you lose a guy like Nick, those guys we lost because of free agency and stuff that we had to do because of the previous year. So yes, if you would’ve told me that we lost those guys before the season with what we were going into, I wouldn’t have expected us to have the record and stuff that we did. “But, that’s when you look at things as a whole and you try to give a narrative to a whole. We just prepare for a game each week. And there were very few Sundays that we felt by the time we got there that we didn’t have a chance to win. And I thought we did play well. I thought our players grinded and overcame a ton of things this year and it gave us a chance to make the playoffs. I never sit there and say like, ‘oh, this will be successful if we just get close to the playoffs or something like that.’ I mean, we always expect to try to compete for the playoffs. We know some seasons are going to be harder than others, which we thought this would be. And I am proud to a degree of what we accomplished.” Now, with the season over, the 49ers will re-evaluate where they are financially and look ahead to potentially spending more in free agency. “That doesn’t mean I’m sitting here three days removed and having great perspective,” Shanahan continued. “Once you get to that point, you believe you can get to the next point because you can’t get that far if that isn’t possible. So, we’re really disappointed right now with how the season ended and still dealing with that.…

Kawakami: The 49ers are set up for an all-in 2026 — can they get Justin Jefferson? (paywall)After cleaning out a big chunk of their depth chart and payroll last March, the 49ers don’t have to hesitate or guard their bank account this offseason. After falling a few star players short against the Seahawks in two lopsided games in the last few weeks, the 49ers have the target right in front of them for 2026. They can go and go. Which they owe to the players who pulled them through the season — and surprised even Shanahan and Lynch by winning 12 regular-season games and knocking off the Eagles in Philadelphia in the wild-card round. The 49ers owe it to themselves after they endured all the slashing and budgeting last March and jumped ahead of schedule by making that playoff run. So they can try to validate all of this by flying to the top of the potential trade market and making the Vikings an offer they might not be able to refuse for multiple-time All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson to top off a true Super Bowl-level roster. Yes, Justin Jefferson. It’s not out of the question. And right now, the 49ers have the gravity to try to bend everything their way in this situation. (This idea was first suggested to me by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on my podcast, and I was intrigued the moment I heard it. Jefferson and Christian McCaffrey probably are the two ideal playmaking fits for a Shanahan offense, and that’s enough to wonder how many first-round picks the 49ers should offer for Jefferson. I’d say at least two.) Crosby seems to be on his way out in Las Vegas and he’s long been one of the 49ers’ favorite players. But if the 49ers can only get one of the two superstars, I’d circle Jefferson, because the 49ers’ need for a game-breaking receiver is greater than for another elite edge, and because Jefferson is easily one of the best 10 players in the league and, at 26, should remain there for many years to come.“ 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan all but certain Gus Bradley will replace Robert Saleh (paywall) ““I’m not going to say it’s a real wide net,” Shanahan said. “Gus is the obvious one to everyone. And (he) is to us, too. Gus would be the main internal candidate. I feel very fortunate to get Gus and feel great about that.” The 49ers must satisfy the Rooney Rule by interviewing two minority candidates in person before making a hire. Last year, Shanahan made a misstep by announcing assistant Klay Kubiak would be promoted to offensive coordinator before the 49ers interviewed other candidates.“ Hutchinson: The 49ers don’t sound like they want to conduct a real DC search (paywall)“This is an era of football in which defenses have started to dictate the terms of engagement.  Mike Macdonald has given the 49ers hell. He has assistants who could be hired, or at least interviewed to pick their brains. Jim Schwartz, the man who has historically dominated Shanahan, could be available if he doesn’t get the Browns’ head coaching job. Raheem Morris is available, as is Sean McDermott.  Frankly, I would be stunned if Shanahan doesn’t try and get Morris, unless he feels they’ve settled on Bradley and that it would be disingenuous to interview someone he holds in high regard… which, of course, is bad process. Here’s another shortlist of mostly young, available assistant coaches of strong defenses, all who are worth of consideration (and some of whom have already received some): Karl Scott, defensive pass game coordinator, Seattle Seahawks Christian Parker, defensive pass game coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles Jim Leonhard, defensive pass game coordinator, Denver Broncos (probably goes elsewhere) Tem Lukabu, linebackers, Jacksonville Jaguars Cory Undlin, defensive pass game coordinator, Houston Texans (former pass game specialist & secondary coach with the 49ers) Stephen Adegoke, safeties, Houston Texans (former quality control with the 49ers) If the 49ers are dogmatic in their conviction that they must hire Bradley, that’s their…