The 49ers revealed some notable developments when John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media for the final time prior to the offseason.
The San Francisco 49ers' 2024 campaign clearly didn't go as planned.
Finishing with a 6-11 record, it was clear the top duo of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan needed to make serious changes, and two of those came in the immediate aftermath of the regular season by firing two coordinators, Brian Schneider of special teams and Nick Sorensen of the defense.
But, letting go of two ineffective assistants won't come close to solving all of the team's woes entering 2025, and their absences also create voids Lynch and Shanahan will have to eventually address.
Turns out, there's one non-void the Niners are going to fill even if it wasn't viewed as a necessary need.
During a Wednesday press conference with reporters, Shanahan and Lynch revealed a promotion for one of the head coach's assistants, Klay Kubiak, who'll assume an offensive coordinator role in 2025 after serving as the team's passing game coordinator.
The move isn't unlike what Shanahan did with now-Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who served as a run game coordinator before taking on the OC role in 2021. While McDaniel didn't directly call offensive plays on game day, his promotion played a role toward eventually being hired away by Miami the following offseason.
With his own promotion, San Francisco ensures Kubiak stays put amid the whirlwind of assistants getting hired away elsewhere during the offseason, potentially opening up the door for more opportunities in 2026.
That wasn't the only notable takeaway from Lynch and Shanahan's presser, though.
49ers aren't looking to offload Deebo Samuel
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was the subject of scrutiny for much of 2024, paralleling what was a down year despite the 49ers dealing with all kinds of injuries on offense, particularly at wide receiver.
Considering Samuel's output hasn't been overly impressive since his 2021 All-Pro season, it made some sense the Niners would look to either release the 2019 second-round draft pick or attempt to find a trade partner, thereby freeing up the depth chart and allowing 2024 rookie Ricky Pearsall to assume a greater role on the depth chart.
Lynch shot that suggestion down, however.
Do you expect Deebo Samuel back? “Yeah, he’s a good player and he’s done a ton for this organization.” — John Lynch
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) January 8, 2025
"He's a good player, and he's done a ton for this organization," Lynch said of Samuel before adding that San Francisco doesn't have interest in getting rid of good players.
It's possible the 49ers are cornered into such a decision, though, given fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk's in-season ACL and MCL tears, which could jeopardize his availability for the start of the 2025 regular season.
Had Aiyuk stayed healthy, it's possible Samuel would have been something of an excess commodity.
But, Aiyuk didn't stay healthy.
Javon Hargrave will be a post-June 1 roster cut (but 49ers want him back)
The Niners have to save money to extend quarterback Brock Purdy, and part of those efforts will include releasing Pro Bowl veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation.
In doing so, San Francisco will generate nearly $13 million in cap savings over the next two years, according to Over the Cap, freeing up cash to use on Purdy's new deal.
#49ers GM John Lynch confirms that team plans to do a post June 1 release of DT Javon Hargrave. They have interest in bringing him back but that is the plan for now.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) January 8, 2025
Hargrave, who missed the bulk of the season with a triceps injury, isn't someone the 49ers simply want to let go, though, and Lynch mentioned the 31 year old is a player they'd like to bring back after the transaction is finalized.
It's unclear whether or not Hargrave would want to return under such circumstances, though.