The San Francisco 49ers have an aging core. It's not hard to see that fact when one looks back at the two recent Super Bowl trips the franchise has had under head coach Kyle Shanahan and know how cornerstone stars like tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa were all there for both of them.
Granted, the Niners' desire to get younger and cheaper entering 2025 was only moderately successful. Despite moving on from older players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and relying more on first-year rookies, San Francisco still boasts that elder core of veterans.
And that crop isn't getting any younger.
True, an average roster age of 26.67 years old doesn't seem horrible (especially for those of us well on the northern side of that number). But, when contrasted against the rest of the league, the 49ers are comparatively ancient.
49ers boast 2nd-oldest roster in the NFL entering 2026
Fantasy football analyst Ian Hartitz compiled the average age of all 32 squads across the league, and the resulting data should come as a shock to Niners fans:
Average NFL roster age entering the 2026 season (sorted from youngest to oldest) pic.twitter.com/h74Tm35Dnu
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 6, 2026
San Francisco's average age of 26.67 years is second oldest, only below the Washington Commanders.
Diving deeper with that core of older players, it's not hard to understand why:
- TE George Kittle: 32 years old
- LT Trent Williams: 37 years old
- FB Kyle Juszczyk: 35 years old
- C Jake Brendel: 33 years old
- DE Nick Bosa: 28 years old
- LB Fred Warner: 29 years old
Yes, the data is skewed a bit more by long-snapper Jon Weeks (40 years old). But it doesn't change the fact the 49ers have an older core that'll no longer be as effective as they age, at least collectively as a group.
That means the Niners have to start identifying their future core soon, if they haven't tried already, landing new cornerstone faces and impact players who can take over for the older names like Kittle, Williams, Bosa and Warner within a few years, at the very max.
It's a young person's game, and San Francisco trying to buck that rule will only go so far.
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