CBS guy is bearish on the 49ers.

2. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ 2024 season was a disaster and the offseason wasn’t much better. No team lost more talent, as safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, offensive guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Charvarius Ward, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, pass rusher Leonard Floyd, defensive tackle Maliek Collins and running back Elijah Mitchell are now playing for new franchises. The 49ers also traded away versatile offensive weapon Deebo Samuel and running back Jordan Mason.

Meanwhile, the 49ers’ free agency class is headlined by tight end Luke Farrell and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Bryce Huff is an interesting addition via trade, but he was a disappointment in Philadelphia last season. According to CBS Sports Research, San Francisco’s $264 million free-agent spending deficit from players lost to players acquired was the largest in NFL HISTORY.

Teams with the worst deficit in free agent spending over the last five seasons

The exodus of talent is a clear reason why San Francisco had one of the worst NFL offseasons, but this issue could be amplified with Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Most NFL fans can admit Purdy is a good starting quarterback, but the question is how good? How many other NFL quarterbacks would you take over him if you were starting your own team? On one hand, Purdy has the highest yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (104.9) in NFL history, but he needs plenty of talent around him to be successful.

Purdy has a career record of 27-15, including playoffs. However, he has a losing record (10-11) when any of his “big five” does not suit up — a list which includes Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Samuel. That “big five” is no more, as Samuel was traded away this offseason, so Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall will have to step up and produce at a high level. Can Purdy return to MVP form with less talent around him in 2025? The 49ers are +146 to miss the playoffs. On paper, this is not an obvious playoff-caliber team.

zn wrote:

Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron ranked the former 2018 UDFA at No. 19 amongst the top 32 centers ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Doug Smith.

Last Rams pro bowl center.

America has become a parody of itself.

A million years ago, this was a national scandal. Today, it is just an every day occurrence that we all tacitly accept.

— Jack Murphy (@jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social) 2025-06-03T13:44:55.468Z

zn wrote:

And Kyren Williams, possibly.

Good. Cut the dead wood. It’s not like they’re Billy Bajema and Zac Stacy.

It will be interesting to what they do. If Hunter is good, then Williams is probably gone. If Hunter is slow to get up to speed, then the Rams will have to talk about an extension, and I don’t know what that looks like nowadays. RBs have slipped in prominence, and the Rams got burned on Gurley. Williams is young, though, and pretty good.

I also think the 49ers are going to be better than people think. But I think as long as McCaffrey is their guy, they will go as far as his health can carry them. He is one player they cannot win without.

Kyren is one of those guys to me who was not paid what he was worth while he was here, but isn’t worth what it would cost to keep him.

I feel sorry for guys like that, but… I don’t make the rules.

zn wrote:

ME: on Purdy’s contract. That’s just the “starting qb 2nd contract” game. The market determines that, it’s not based on “worth.” The market goes up every year. If you have a starting qb up for a 2nd contract, you either pay him what the market is paying for starting qbs up for 2nd contracts that year, or you let him walk.

Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence signed 2nd contracts in 2024, and their deals were in the 55 M a year range, so if anything Purdy’s deal is a bit at the low end of that market.

Stafford, in contrast, turned down deals for more money to stay with the Rams. Plus he’s not in the “2nd contract for a starting qb” market. Deals past contract 2 are not as uniformly defined.

Yeah, I agree with all that. It’s kinda great, though, because using the QB salary as a starting point, the Rams have a better QB and more cap space available outside the QB for other players.

BRENDA. KNOWS. BALL.

🚨 Schedule Update '25 with Brenda Song pic.twitter.com/1M4uUDf0dp

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 15, 2025

zn wrote:

I don’t defend it. But it looks like the NFL is in “recession’s comin” style thinking. It’ as if they’re openly saying “Schedule the established money makers that draw national audiences, this is not the time to re-think this”

Yeah, I get it. I guess what’s interesting is that America in general has not caught onto the fact that the Cowboys and the Falcons are roughly the same team over the last 30 years.

In fact…the Falcons have been better.

wv wrote:

I think the opener is a very big game this year. I know, all 17 are important, blah blah, but the Texan game is huge, to me.

I’m expecting a fast start this year. Three out of the first four in the win column.

w
v

5-0 going into Baltimore.

zn wrote:

Actually, for me, the Madden Raiders are my 2nd favorite team. Not the Raiders, the Madden Raiders. With the Rams it’s just the Rams even through the dark years. With the Madden Raiders it was a flirtatious interest.

Yeah?

Well, I always hated your stupid BFF girlfriend Madden Raiders. I still hate the Raiders to this day because of what is the only interesting chapter in their sordid history, sleeping around with one city after another, and trying to come off as Mavericky as Sarah Palin.

I grew up in NoCal, so I was surrounded by those insufferable idiots who gave birth to the Mad Max Halloween beat-up-fans-of-visiting-team sociopaths who thought they were on the team roster, listed right after The Assassin Jack Tatum who was fucking proud of paralyzing a guy for life.

I didn’t hate every player, I will admit that, and I didn’t hate Madden. They even had several players I admired, but I hated the “assassin” ethos, and the fans that embraced that. And Al Davis was the scumbag among scumbags.

Anyway. Carry on.

Just play the game.

I don’t like TNF. I get they’re after money, etc. That said, why not Friday night?

Buccaneers at Rams – Week 13 Thanksgiving Night

That works for me.

My wife is already resigned to Thanksgiving football (my family’s fault, and we are usually with them), but there is no way I’m going to be able to watch the Rams on Christmas if she’s still alive and breathing. And if the Rams are playing on Thanksgiving, I think I’m safe for this year from a Christmas game.

zn wrote:

Rams post-draft depth chart: Continuity at OL, new-look WRs room stand out

Jourdan Rodrigue

She means Terrance Ferguson, not Hunter (Long) Ferguson.

There are no safeties on the team, apparently. Nor a kicker, punter, or LS.

And Xavier Smith is probably a casualty since the Rams got that PR dude from Philly.

And there are only 45 guys on that 53-man roster.

Typical shoddy work from Rodrigue.

NFL SCHEDULE LEAK

Rams vs Jaguars – Week 7 (London) pic.twitter.com/3nLbaBfVWl

— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) May 8, 2025