5 reasons why 49ers could win Super Bowl 57 next season
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers came within a game of making it to Super Bowl 56, but the Rams stole that chance. But it doesn’t mean the Niners won’t be there a year from now.
There are plenty of reasons why the San Francisco 49ers ultimately came up short of making it to Super Bowl 56 this season.
But, taking a 20,000-foot look at the Niners’ entire 2021 campaign, it’s almost miraculous head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad made it to the NFC Championship game, ultimately falling to the Los Angeles Rams and missing out on the chance to hoist a sixth Lombardi Trophy.
There’s plenty of good news, though, and almost all of it points to San Francisco being right back in the thick of the hunt for a Super Bowl next year. Sure, there are some major changes afoot, and even making it to back-to-back conference championship games can be challenging in itself.
That said, 49ers fans should feel confident their team will have an excellent chance at getting into Super Bowl 57 a little over a year from now.
And perhaps even winning it. Here are five reasons why.
Reason No. 5: Bulk of 49ers roster will remain intact
Sure, the Niners are going to experience some turnover this offseason, most notably a pending trade of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo so that the 2021 rookie, Trey Lance, can officially take over under center.
More on that in a moment. But let’s focus on the remaining core group Shanahan has at his disposal.
Left tackle Trent Williams, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, EDGE Nick Bosa and center Alex Mack — all Pro Bowlers from 2021 — are all rostered next season. In addition to that core, running back Elijah Mitchell is a promising up-and-coming player who impressed by setting a franchise record for a rookie with 963 rush yards. Soon-to-be third-year pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk also came into form after a slow start, too.
The point? San Francisco has a fairly stacked roster with only a few notable holes that have to be filled this offseason.
Jettisoning Garoppolo, which will free up more than $25 million, will afford the 49ers every chance to upgrade and reinforce those positions of need, too.
Lance will remain the focal point, however.