Niner Noise
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2016 Offseason: 5 Best-Case Scenarios for the San Francisco 49ers

By Peter Panacy

What might Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke cook up in free agency? Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
What might Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke cook up in free agency? Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers are going to need a spectacular offseason in 2016 to turn their recent fortunes around and return to their former relevancy. What are the best possible cases for the Niners with free agency and the NFL draft looming?

Turning around the fortunes of the San Francisco 49ers won’t be easy in 2016. This is a team coming off a 5-11 finish, lowly statistics on both offense and defense as well as the termination of first-year head coach Jim Tomsula.

OK, so the Niners have essentially hit rock bottom. This isn’t a team anywhere close to the franchise that reached three consecutive NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl not long ago.

But teams have to start somewhere. And San Francisco linked its hopes to new head coach Chip Kelly and a complete makeover of the coaching staff. And the 49ers will have plenty of reasons to hope the 2016 offseason will be a good one.

For starters, the Niners will have a young and developing roster, which will hopefully get better with one more season of NFL experience under its belt.

On top of that, San Francisco boasts a large amount of cap space with which to spend in free agency. Bringing in NFL-ready talent will be one of the keys for general manager Trent Baalke and the 49ers talent-lacking roster.

And then there is the NFL draft. The 49ers will have a lot of picks — a plethora of them. Building championship-caliber teams via the draft is one of the best ways to ensure success.

But in order for the team to truly come together, a number of factors need to take place. The reality is that no team always seizes on every single best-case scenario. There are setbacks, failures in reaching expectations and a laundry list of factors working themselves into the equation.

Yet what are some of the best-case scenarios for the 49ers this offseason? No, we’re not going to say anything like, “CEO Jed York and his family sells the team.”

Instead, let’s look at the realistic and plausible cases that will be necessary to San Francisco’s 2016 fortunes.

Next: Re-signing Anquan Boldin and Ian Williams