The San Francisco 49ers had to watch one of their division rivals win a Super Bowl this season, and to make matters worse, the 49ers were a stepping stone in the Seattle Seahawks journey, getting blown out in the divisional round.
San Francisco isn’t staying down, though; the franchise is already thinking about how it can win a Super Bowl next season.
If there’s anyone who knows about the 49ers winning Super Bowls, it’s NFL legend Jerry Rice. The three-time Super-Bowl winner recently sat down for an exclusive interview with FanSided, on behalf of NetApp, and shared what he believes his former team needs to add in the offseason to improve.
Rice was asked specifically about what he wants to see happen in the wide receiver room, and he said San Francisco needs a wideout who can stretch the field and strike fear in defenses:
Jerry Rice says 49ers need to add a receiver who can stretch the field
The legendary receiver went on to emphasize that San Francisco has to get better in the wide receiver room, as a whole, and also added that the offensive line needs to be better as well. If those two things are taken care of, Rice argues that the onus will then be on the players to deliver for the franchise:
"Once we [get better at wide receiver and offensive line], now it’s up to the players to take that over. Coaches, they can put together a game plan, they can do all those things, but the players have to take it over and get it done."Jerry Rice (FanSided)
When it comes to improving the wide receiver room, Rice is preaching to the choir. The 49ers managed to win 12 games this past season, and running back Christian McCaffrey was the leading receiver with 924 yards. Between the curious case of Brandon Aiyuk, and injuries, San Francisco struggled to find consistent wide receiver play.
Now, Aiyuk is unlikely to ever play another snap for the 49ers, and Jauan Jennings is set to be a free agent.
That means one of the franchise’s top priorities this offseason will be rebuilding the wide receiver room.