49ers reluctantly transitioning into an offseason of changes
The 49ers as constituted in 2021 are no more.
There was some bonding and commiserating Monday at the club facility as well as the flight home the previous night following a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium.
“You never accept that we lost, but I’ve got to get over myself and realize that we had an outstanding season,” free safety Jimmie Ward said as the club made 15 players available by video conference. “We won 10 games in the regular season, two in the postseason, made it to the NFC Championship Game . . . I know we lost so I can’t really count that as an accomplishment, but at the same time it was still a great season.”
While the 49ers have a strong base of talent, it’s a fact of life the NFL is a revolving door as players are recycled based on age, health, performance and contract status. Those are things that coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will be sorting out over the coming days and months.
“It’s the business side. Each year the team’s going to change,” Ward said. “Somebody’s going to go to another team and it could be a heartbreaker, like when we lost (DeForest) Buckner. The same thing is going to happen. I trust in John and Kyle to do their job and that’s what they’re getting paid for.”
Middle linebacker Fred Warner realizes change is going to come.
“It’s crazy. It’s how this business goes, right?” Warner said. “It’s never the same team year in and year out. There’s always going to be turnover. Of course, I want us to try and keep as many guys as we can, but that’s just the business and whatever happens, happens and we’re going to ride with whoever we’ve got coming into the next season.”
REPORT: GAROPPOLO TO HAVE THUMB SURGERY ASAP >> More than a month after injuring the UCL in his right thumb, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is preparing for offseason surgery.
Garoppolo initially injured his thumb in the 49ers’ Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, but missed just one game before returning to his starting role for the remainder of the season and the 49ers playoff run, which fell one game short of the Super Bowl. According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, Garoppolo will have reconstructive surgery to repair his UCL “as soon as it can be scheduled.”
“The likelihood is that Jimmy Garoppolo has played his last down with the San Francisco 49ers and this is the best-case scenario for everyone,” Rapoport said in a TV report.
DEEBO OK WITH DOUBLE DUTY >> Receiver/running back Deebo Samuel was one of the most dynamic players in the NFL operating as both a wide receiver and running back, a grueling combination that impressed and inspired teammates all season. Samuel is fine with the role going into the future.
Samuel said. “Like I said all year long, I’m fine with whatever to help this team win,” Samuel said.
Samuel plans to spend time with his son -- he said he hadn’t seen him in a month until Sunday’s postgame -- but first has another obligation he’d forgotten all about.
“They come up to me and say the Pro Bowl is this coming weekend,” Samuel said. “I’d totally forgotten all about that. After that I’m going to go spend time with my family, especially my son. Got to take time off for my body and mind, so will take a couple of vacations before getting back to training.”
NO KNIFE FOR KITTLE >> Tight end George Kittle missed three games on injured reserve with a calf injury that was worse than he let on, as he is notoriously guarded about his own injuries. But Kittle did take pride in finishing the season intact and the offseason shouldn’t include rehabbing of any injuries.
“Luckily I don’t need any type of surgeries. That’s awesome,” Kittle said. “My recovery process will be to take a couple of weeks off, let the body heal, and if I still feel pain in three to four weeks I’ll call my trainers if I need something else. It’s just rest is what my body needs at this point. I made it through the whole season which I’m pretty proud of.”
DEEBO, BOSA UP FOR EXTENSIONS >> Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa are both in line for contract extensions to secure them to the franchise for the foreseeable future. That process is beginning, and neither player is aware of any current negotiations.
Bosa spent all last season recovering from a torn ACL and is looking forward to an offseason program that doesn’t include rehab. Like Kittle, he was pleased about his durability.
“I actually did surprise myself,” Bosa said. “If you’d have asked me what I thought I was going to be able to do a couple of months before the season, I definitely don’t know what I would have told you. I just knew I was in the right hands with who I was training with and I knew I was doing everything right. So I just decided to stick with the plan and not dwell on the bumps in the road I dealt with along the way. It ended up paying off. I think my knee has improved throughout the entire season.”
Players scheduled for unrestricted free agency include left guard Laken Tomlinson, right tackle Will Compton, safety Jaquiski Tartt, nickel corner K’waun Williams and defensive tackle D.J. Jones. Both Tomlinson and Jones expressed a desire to return. MACK SOUNDS AS IF HE’LL RETURN >> Center Alex Mack started all 20 games at age 36 and sounds inclined to give it another go for a 14th season. He played 12 seasons for Cleveland and Atlanta (where Shanahan was offensive coordinator) before signing with the 49ers.
“After Year 10 I always said I was going to take it one year at a time, see how everything felt and go from there,” Mack said. “I am so thankful to be a part of this organization and be able to play this year and have the run we did. Didn’t quite get it done, but I love this team, love these guys and I’m sure glad I made this choice.” WILLIAMS ENTHUSED ABOUT LANCE >> Trent Williams, the 49ers left tackle, was named as a cowinner of the Garry Niver Award for professionally dealing with the local media covering the team. He shared it with Garoppolo.
So Williams, not surprisingly, was insightful when assessing the development of rookie quarterback Trey Lance.
“Trey is a very inquisitive person. He’s not one of those people who thinks he knows it all,” Williams said. “He comes to learn, he comes to work. He’s always picking brains no matter what position you play. We even had a talk last night about how quarterback play marries up with offensive line for like an hour or so.”
Williams thinks the 49ers plan to have Lance wait a year worked out perfectly.
“They wanted to give him a year to continue to develop, a 21-yearold who was just old enough to buy his first beer or a pack of cigarettes. We can’t just put the weight of the world of his shoulders,’’ Williams said. “I think it went exactly how they wanted it to go. He developed nicely on the practice squad, was 1-1 as a starter, he came in and won a game for us when we were in playoff mode. If we had lost we wouldn’t have been in the playoffs and wouldn’t have played yesterday.”