Crushing loss to Seahawks proved 49ers must punt on recent draft investment

True, the San Francisco 49ers' disastrous playoff exit at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks got out of hand on the very opening kickoff when Hawks returner Rashid Shaheed took one to the house for 95 yards, effectively granting Seattle enough points to upend the Niners in the divisional round.

But the game wasn't exactly insurmountable at that point.

If anything, things truly started to get out of hand when San Francisco lost a fumble late in the first quarter, one which resulted in wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba hauling in a 4-yard touchdown reception off the hand of quarterback Sam Darnold.

The defensive back in primary coverage? Darrell Luter Jr.

Granted, Luter wasn't supposed to be in on that play. As a reserve, he suddenly found himself with the first-team defense after head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. opted to pull starting cornerback Renardo Green from the starting lineup for a time.

Green had gotten under Shanahan's skin the play before, which resulted in Luter seeing meaningful reps.

Yet the result was clearly disastrous. And it didn't do Luter any favors for his long-term standing with the franchise.

It's time for 49ers to move on from Darrell Luter Jr.

Luter, the 49ers' fifth-round draft pick back in 2023 out of South Alabama, brought high hopes to the front office when he was selected, but injuries and a satisfactory number of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart prevented him from seeing much of the field his rookie season.

Instead, Luter's 2023 campaign might best be remembered for the special teams gaffe he committed against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl,

Obviously, that play didn't ruin the defensive back's tenure in the Bay Area. After an abbreviated 2024 campaign, Luter ultimately saw action in 17 regular-season games over the course of 2025 and was a primary go-to in cases when the Niners needed a fill-in defender.

However, the fact opposing quarterbacks posted a passer rating of 101.0 when targeting him in coverage reveals a lot.

The total coverage whiff against JSN at a pivotal moment in a win-or-go-home playoff game should be all San Francisco needs to recognize it's time to move on.