Throughout the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have been forced to listen to the same tired narrative. Questions surrounding their collective age won't go away, especially with aging veterans like George Kittle and Mike Evans already dealing with aches and pains.
While the red and gold have suffered under these conditions for some time, their NFC West counterparts appear to be going completely under the radar. The recent announcement of final rosters, though, should shed some light on critic's hypocrisy of the conference.
Various sites and social media accounts have been sharing every team's average age. Much like everyone suspected, the 49ers have one of the oldest rosters with an average age of 26.9. Their two NFC counterparts, however, are right up there with them.
The Los Angeles Rams are tied with San Francisco, and the Seattle Seahawks are just 0.2 years younger on average. In short, the two rivals are everything critics say the Niners are.
Rams and Seahawks may have to worry about age narrative more than the 49ers
While the Niners are busy getting all of the negative publicity for their age, the Rams and the Seahawks might be in for a more drastic, age-driven decline.
Many don't associate the Seahawks with aging stars, but they should. The defense that drove the team's Super Bowl run was led by aging veterans like DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams. On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Cooper Kupp is well past his prime. Even Sam Darnold is 29, three years older than Niners gunslinger Brock Purdy.
Yet, because San Francisco's age lies more in its offensive skill positions, all eyes are drawn to the red and gold.
The Rams' entire core is on the wrong side of 30. Outside of superstar Puka Nacua, the team is set to rely on older veterans like Davante Adams, Matthew Stafford, Myles Garrett, and newly unretired Aaron Donald.
Stafford is coming off a career year, but people forget that he is currently the oldest starting quarterback outside of Aaron Rodgers. Unproven Stetson Bennett and rookie Ty Simpson have been named the backup, and one wrong hit on their fragile starting QB could send their season into a spiral.
While the 49ers take the heat for their proclivity toward experienced veterans, their division rivals are just as guilty, if not more so. The NFC West was the winningest division in the league last year, so there must be some sort of reasoning behind the strategy. Maybe, instead of ridiculing the red and gold for the way they rely on older players, other teams could learn a thing or two about constructing a winning roster.
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