We’re back with a mailbag for what I call “Exit Week.” This is the week the 49ers coaching staff meets with the players one last time, gives a few words of advice, and then shifts to planning for the 2026 team.

Most of my thoughts are on optimism. The 49ers have a lot of work to do, but if this is what we get when half the team is fighting injuries, what happens when they get everything figured out? Yes, Seattle has a beast of a defense now, and Kyle Shanahan has to find a way to come up with...

Legendary 49ers QB, Bay Area native John Brodie dies at 90, team announces
“Brodie played his entire 17-year NFL career with the 49ers after being the No. 3 overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft out of Stanford.

He played in 201 games with the 49ers, second-most in franchise history behind only Jerry Rice. Brodie ranks No. 2 in all-time franchise passing yards (31,548) behind only Joe Montana (35,124).

Brodie (214), Montana (244) and Steve Young (221) are the only quarterbacks in 49ers history with 200 or more passing touchdowns.

He was known for having a strong throwing arm but...

This is a strange time for San Francisco 49ers fans. The team qualified for the NFC playoffs, but isn’t playing in the NFC Championship game. For those unaware, the Niners under Kyle Shanahan either miss the playoffs altogether or at least play in the NFC title game. To make things worse, the two NFC teams fighting for a Super Bowl berth are the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams.

As a 49ers fan, I actually don’t even think there is a football game on February 8th at Levi’s Stadium. There is a concert being held by my fellow Puerto...

The Pro Football Writers of America announced San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was voted the 2025 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing 13 games in 2024. McCaffrey led the NFL in receiving yards by a running back and had the second-most yards from scrimmage in the league in 2025.

San Francisco’s head coach, Kyle Shanahan, said McCaffrey’s season was one of the most impressive seasons he’s ever seen by an individual player:

Just in terms of what a warrior and man he is week in, week out. People who do that every week, to do...

When San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke earlier in the week, one of the questions he answered was about the team’s plan this offseason. After a long-winded answer, Lynch said, “We will have a little more flexibility this year, and we’re excited about that.”

The 49ers could theoretically gain more salary cap space from Brandon Aiyuk’s contract, depending on how that plays out. But there is a more obvious answer for creating cap space, and something the 49ers do annually.

During the season, star left tackle Trent Williams hinted at wanting to play in the NFL into his...

Between DeMeco Ryans and Robert Saleh twice now, the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator has produced three head coaching gigs in half a decade. The easy conclusion is that this is a desirable job as it’s been a springboard for multiple head coaching jobs.

Any success with a team that has the brand of the 49ers will put you in the spotlight. It helps when you have some of the best players at their respective positions in the NFL. But how attractive is the 49ers defensive coordinator job this offseason?

Nick Bosa and Fred Warner make for ideal building blocks....

The 2025 season is done, and the final press conference with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan wrapped up on Wednesday. The 49ers need another defensive coordinator for the third straight season and face tough questions about their roster and roster construction philosophy.

Steph Sanchez and I answered the tough questions about the 49ers and their future on the latest episode of Bully Ball.

Fact or Fiction: Ricky Pearsall cannot be the 49ers’ #1 WR next season

Unfortunately, this is a fact. There is no denying his talent, but his availability is the issue. If the 49ers go into 2026 with...

Brandon Aiyuk is gone. What’s next for the 49ers at wide receiver? How about some speed? (paywall) “The 49ers have speed on the roster. Cowing and Watkins both ran sub-4.4-second 40-yard dashes before their respective drafts, and Pearsall clocked 4.41 seconds before his. But none could stay on the field in 2025. Cowing suffered a hamstring strain in the opening practice of training camp, then aggravated the injury multiple times while rehabilitating. He said he finally got on top of it by the end of the season and is entering the offseason healthy.

Watkins, a rookie, was off to a...

The San Francisco 49ers had quite the season this year, winning 13 games despite a slew of injuries, including a road playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles before bowing out.

A big part of that success was backup quarterback Mac Jones, who weathered the storm when starter Brock Purdy was out, going 5-3 in eight starts with some impressive play off the bench. In that stretch, Jones threw for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while executing the level at a high offense.

Naturally, Jones’s play sparked potential offseason trade talk, given the number of teams that are in...

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Atlanta Falcons blocked the San Francisco 49ers after requesting an interview with secondary coach Justin Hood. Pelissero wasn’t specific about what job Hood would’ve interviewed for, calling it a “high-ranking staff position.”

Hood has been the secondary coach in Atlanta for two seasons. Previously, he worked as a defensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers from 2021 to 2023.

The Falcons had two safeties finish in the top 25 in the NFL in interceptions this past season, while another cornerback was 27th. As a team, the Falcons were sixth in the...

The San Francisco 49ers are back into offseason mode, and one position that’s always talked about with the team at this time of the year is the defensive line.

San Francisco has been known for having an elite defensive line during the Kyle Shanahan era, but it hasn’t reached that standard the last two seasons, which brings up questions for their plan this offseason.

Last year, the 49ers elected to go younger at defensive line. They released Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, and Leonard Floyd and looked to fill those spots via the draft and a trade. The team drafted Mykel...

The Seattle Seahawks made the San Francisco 49ers look slow on both sides of the ball. The defense struggled to catch up to Kenneth Walker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, while the pass catchers couldn’t run away from Seattle’s secondary. Outside of a couple of routes, that was true in the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles, too.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked on Wednesday if he felt improving team speed is a priority this offseason, and whether Shanahan feels like it’s something the team needs more of moving forward:

“Yes, definitely. I mean, being fast helps, being good...