It's not hard to find takes out there suggesting the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl window closed after a tumultuous offseason that saw plenty of well-established star players depart, either via free agency, trades or outright releases.
Headlined by the departures of wide receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, the 2025 Niners will look noticeably different than they have in recent seasons despite still boasting plenty of star power.
And a recently extended quarterback, Brock Purdy.
His supporting cast, particularly on offense, remains strong enough to at least keep San Francisco in the discussion for a playoff berth. Plus, coming off a 6-11 finish a year ago, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad benefits not only from playing a last-place schedule in 2025 but also from the NFC West squaring off against two of the NFL's weaker divisions: the AFC South and NFC South.
Those are just some reasons why one NFL analyst is viewing the 49ers as being massively underrated heading into 2025.
Bleacher Report declares 49ers as 'underrated' entering 2025
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report compiled a list of both overhyped and underrated teams heading into the new season, and the Niners earned the claim of proverbially flying under the radar.
Of San Francisco, Moton said:
"San Francisco couldn't overcome bad breaks last season, but the club could bounce back with better luck on the injury front.
[Running back Christian] McCaffrey missed 13 games due to injuries. Three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams missed the last seven games because of injury. The Niners also had a misstep in replacing former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Under first-time play-caller Nick Sorensen, they gave up the fourth-most points.
For now, McCaffrey and Williams are healthy. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's return to San Francisco has flown under the radar. He established himself as a quality play-caller, particularly in his last two years with the 49ers before taking the New York Jets' head coaching job.
With a moderate improvement on the defensive side of the ball under Saleh and a mostly healthy offensive cast, the 49ers should be back in Super Bowl contention."
True, the 49ers will have to rely heavily on their 2025 NFL Draft class to shore up the gaps left by offseason departures, putting more pressure on defensive linemen like Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and C.J. West.
That said, Saleh's return is expected to get the most out of those first-year pros, and Shanahan's own offense has managed to maintain efficiency despite previous turnover, too.
As long as the Niners remain relatively healthy, it wouldn't be a shock to see them vault right back into Super Bowl contention.