The San Francisco 49ers come into the 2025 season hoping to rebound from last year's disappointing 6-11 record. Yet, head coach Kyle Shanahan is not exactly shooting for the stars with his goals for the team.
In a recent radio appearance, Shanahan spoke about how the team is not in a rebuilding phase since they still have established star players on both sides of the ball.
However, he still implied that the goal for this team is to sneak into the playoffs, which is obviously much different than how the Niners have looked at things in the past.
Such a good answer from Shanahan.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) August 14, 2025
Said it all along, realistic goal should be to get into the playoffs with this roster and the schedule they have in front of them.
Tall order with injuries mounting, but that should be the goal. 10 wins and playoffs. pic.twitter.com/EPPm0JLbsY
Shanahan said, "My whole goal is that we get better throughout the year and find a way to hopefully get into those playoffs."
With so many young players on the team, Shanahan seems to believe it could take some time for the team to find its footing. This is fair and it is a realistic perspective to have on the team. It also throws cold water on the notion that the Niners are going to go back to being the juggernaut they were in 2022 and 2023.
Even though many believe San Francisco has an easy schedule, a schedule that some commentators say is the easiest they have ever seen, there are still going to be bumps in the road for this team.
Outside of edge rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, there are a lot of question marks on defense. With a young group that may lean heavily on rookies, it would not be surprising to see some sloppy, mistake-filled defense especially early in the season.
On offense, the team still has its stars in quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, and tight end George Kittle, but injuries could disrupt things. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may not be back until Week 6 and Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf injury as well as a contract dispute which may or may not be related to that injury.
Their offensive line is always a bit of a question mark outside of left tackle Trent Williams, so there are plenty of reasons for concern on offense as well.
Kittle himself refuted the notion that the Niners have an easy schedule. He knows as well as anyone that you have to go out and play the games and nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. With injuries piling up and the team having to rely on so many new faces, the beginning of the season could be a little rough for San Francisco.
Shanahan seems to sense this which is why he may be setting his sights much lower than the days when the team wanted the No. 1 seed in the NFC to guarantee home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The head coach may be picturing the 2025 season playing out more like the 2021 season for San Francisco where they struggled early, found their footing later in the year, squeaked into the playoffs and made a run before losing a heartbreaker in the NFC Championship game.
Every year is different, but going off Shanahan's comments, it seems like he expects 2025 to be a bit of a grind for the 49ers.