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San Francisco 49ers News & Rumors

Brock Purdy Avoids Structural Damage

January 3rd, 2025 at 4:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

JANUARY 3: John Lynch confirmed Friday during a KNBR interview (h/t 49ersWebZone.com) that Purdy avoided any long-term elbow issues. The 49ers are preparing to sit their starter for Week 18, but this issue should not impact him for too long into the offseason.

DECEMBER 31: An MRI revealed that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered no structural damage after leaving the game on Monday night, but he is not expected to play again this season, per Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Purdy “most likely” will sit out the 49ers’ regular season finale next week, though he is not dealing with any “long-term issues.” Specifically, the ulnar collateral ligament he tore in the NFC Championship Game in January 2023 is not affected.

San Francisco was eliminated from postseason contention in Week 16, so neither Purdy nor Shanahan will want to risk further damage in an essentially meaningless Week 18 game.

Purdy’s current injury is unlikely to impact upcoming extension negotiations with the 49ers. The 2022 seventh-round pick is still under contract for $1.12MM in 2025, but he will be looking to cash in after making less than $1MM per year to start his career.

Purdy will finish the 2024 season with 3,864 passing yards, a 65.9% completion rate, and 20 touchdowns to go along with 12 interceptions, a decrease from his 2023 Pro Bowl production. That downtick isn’t entirely Purdy’s fault, as the 49ers have dealt with significant absences from three of their best offensive players: Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams.

Shanahan has not decided who will start at quarterback in Purdy’s place next week. Brandon Allen started on November 24 when Purdy was sidelined with a shoulder injury, but Joshua Dobbs was active instead of Allen on Monday. Dobbs’ mobility could give him a leg up behind the 49ers’ banged-up offensive line, though Allen won the backup quarterback job during the preseason and is still listed as such on the team’s depth chart. 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/25

January 2nd, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

The Chargers added some veteran safety depth in Terrell Edmunds today. The former first-round pick most recently had a two-month stint with the Steelers, collecting seven tackles in five games. Alohi Gilman could soon return to the Chargers lineup, but the team will still be down two players at the position with Elijah Molden and Marcus Maye sidelined, so there could be some open snaps for their newest player.

Jed York: 49ers Will Retain Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch For 2025

December 31st, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Little (if anything) has gone according to plan for the 49ers this season. Monday night’s loss leaves the team with a 6-10 record, but major changes on the sidelines or in the front office will not be coming.

[RELATED: 49ers Unlikely To Replace DC Nick Sorensen?]

Owner Jed York said prior to last night’s game that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will be back for 2025 (h/t the San Francisco Standard via ESPN). That comes as no surprise given the pairing’s track record of success, but it will end speculation about their respective futures. Shanahan and Lynch have been in place together since 2018.

That stretch has included four trips to the NFC title game along with a pair of Super Bowl appearances. No championships have been won under the Lynch/Shanahan regime, but that (general) run of consistent success resulted in new contracts last year. A dismissal of either would have therefore come as a major surprise even in the wake of this year’s underwhelming showing. Injuries have played a major factor on both sides of the ball, and a return to health from several key players will be welcomed in 2025.

Shanahan’s name has been floated as a potential candidate for a team looking to replace its head coach, with the Bears in particular being mentioned as a landing spot. Lynch emphatically shot down that speculation earlier this month, however, and Shanahan himself stated his desire to remain in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. Any movement in his case would have required York and the 49ers’ ownership group changing course only one year after authorizing an extension. To little surprise, that will not happen.

Once Week 18 comes and goes, attention will turn to the offseason and the multitude of key decisions which need to be made. Quarterback Brock Purdy will be eligible for an extension, while several key players remain on track for free agency. Safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw are among those high on the team’s list of preferred targets for a re-signing, but expensive pacts for San Francisco’s offensive core will make it difficult on a number of fronts to commitment to new contracts elsewhere on the roster.

A return to contention will be expected for next year in San Francisco’s case, especially with continuity regarding the team’s top decision-makers. As the coaching landscape takes shape over the coming weeks, meanwhile, Shanahan’s name will no longer emerge as one to watch.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/24

December 31st, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The last minor NFL transactions of the 2024 calendar year:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/31/24

December 31st, 2024 at 6:35pm CST by Ely Allen

New Year’s Eve practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Jaxon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/24

December 30th, 2024 at 7:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

By claiming Jones, the Cardinals reunite him with his brother, wide receiver Zay Jones, for the final week of the regular season.

The Ravens are looking to return their third tight end to the fold after Kolar broke his arm a month ago. When ready, he’ll be back to close out the regular season and prepare for the playoffs behind Baltimore’s other two strong tight ends.

The Jets will be finishing the season without their starting safety in Clark. Clark, who battled back from injury earlier this season, was placed on injured reserve for an undisclosed reason today.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 30th, 2024 at 10:39am CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of changes took place regarding the projected draft order on Sunday. Most notably, the Giants’ first home win of the year took them out of the top spot and greatly lowered their chances of securing the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the Patriots are now in pole position to select first in April. New England already has Drake Maye in place, so adding another Day 1 passer would be out of the picture. With Travis Hunter being seen as the top overall prospect in the class, the Heisman winner could be a suitable target as a key figure in New England’s rebuilding process.

Meanwhile, a number of teams which could be in the market for a first-round passer are near the top of the order. That includes the Browns and Raiders, teams which each face uncertainty under center for 2025 despite already having a number of quarterbacks under contract beyond this season. Bringing in Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders would provide another short-term option for next year along with a potential long-term answer at the position. Plenty could still change in the order over Week 18, though, and the evaluation process of both of the top signal-callers in the class obviously has a long way to go.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. New England Patriots (3-13)
  2. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
  3. Cleveland Browns (3-13)
  4. New York Giants (3-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
  6. Carolina Panthers (4-12)
  7. New York Jets (4-12)
  8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
  9. Chicago Bears (4-12)
  10. New Orleans Saints (5-11)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
  12. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
  13. Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
  14. Arizona Cardinals (7-9)
  15. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
  16. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
  17. Atlanta Falcons (8-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
  19. Houston Texans (9-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (9-7)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
  23. Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
  24. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
  25. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
  26. Washington Commanders (11-5)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
  28. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
  29. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
  30. Detroit Lions (13-2)
  31. Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Addresses DC Nick Sorensen’s Performance

December 30th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after their Super Bowl loss, the 49ers moved on from defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. That decision came as little surprise given the perceived friction between he and head coach Kyle Shanahan, and the latter’s search for a replacement was a key element of San Francisco’s offseason.

The team looked into a number of candidates but ultimately elected to promote Nick Sorensen to the role. The 46-year-old has been an NFL staffer since 2013, but this season has been his first at the coordinator level. San Francisco’s defense – a unit which, much like the the team’s offense, has been hit hard by injuries – has struggled in several categories despite ranking second in yards allowed per game. While Shanahan stopped short of confirming Sorensen will be back in 2025, his comments certainly suggest that will be the case.

“I think Nick has done a good job as a coach,” Shanahan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “No one’s happy with our results by any means. I think he’s been thrown in a number of situations that I think will make him better going forward. I’ve watched him adjust to a bunch of different situations.”

Entering Monday night’s action, the 49ers sit 19th in the league in points allowed per game and 29th in red zone defense. Those figures represent a notable step back from last year, and changes could be coming at a number of positions this offseason as the team faces several notable pending free agents. That list includes safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, both of whom are targets for new contracts. It remains to be seen if one or both will be affordable given San Francisco’s other financial priorities, though.

The 49ers met with several outside candidates for the DC role last offseason, one of whom was Brandon Staley. The former Chargers head coach has experience as a defensive coordinator at the NFL level (2020 with the Rams), and especially after one season working under Shanahan as an assistant head coach he could be a candidate to take charge of the defense if Sorensen were to be dismissed. A strong showing to close out the season (including tonight’s matchup with the high-flying Lions) would help Sorensen’s case for being retained, however.

As Branch notes, Sorensen’s background with Shanahan’s preferred defensive scheme could help his cause to remain in place for 2025. Expectations will be high for a step forward on that side of the ball next year, and it will be interesting to see if the team prefers continuity on the sidelines or opts for changes once again in the winter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/24

December 27th, 2024 at 7:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw Out For Season

December 26th, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Dre Greenlaw‘s outlook for 2024 took a massive hit when he suffered an Achilles tear during Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers linebacker managed to work his way back this year, but his season has already come to an end.

Greenlaw will be shut down for the remainder of the campaign, as noted by Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. He was activated earlier this month, paving the way for a late-season run of action at a time when the 49ers still had a chance at the postseason. Greenlaw exited his first game back in the lineup after logging 30 snaps, however, and he managed only four defensive plays on Sunday.

San Francisco is officially out of the hunt for the playoffs, so finishing out the final two weeks of the season on the mend is sensible in Greenlaw’s case. His absence will, of course, leave the team thin at linebacker given De’Vondre Campbell‘s team-induced suspension for refusing to enter the game in Week 15. Greenlaw’s return resulted him reprising his first-team role, something which relegated Campbell to backup duties. Now, neither will see the field the rest of the way.

Greenlaw has spent his entire six-year career with the 49ers, and when healthy he has been a mainstay on defense. The 27-year-old was limited to only three games in 2021, but in each of his other campaigns prior to this one he amassed at least 86 tackles (topping out at 127 in 2022). Greenlaw landed a two-year, $16.4MM extension after that season, but he is now on track for free agency.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently confirmed the 49ers hope to re-sign Greenlaw, with the same also being true of safety Talanoa Hufanga. Both defenders have dealt with major injuries leading to signficant missed time in 2024, though, a factor which could hurt their respective markets. As San Francisco prepares for a Brock Purdy extension, it remains to be seen how much of a commitment the team will be able to make to retain Greenlaw, Hufanga or the other names on its list of pending free agents.

Sitting at 6-9 on the year and managing several notable injuries at other positions, very little has gone right for the 49ers this year and attention will increasingly shift to 2025. With Greenlaw out of the picture for the final two games of the campaign, his health status and his future with San Francisco will become a notable storyline.

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