The 49ers have made deep playoff runs over the past five NFL seasons with nothing to show for them.
And with current stars holding out, Brock Purdy’s big-time payday looming and stars aging, San Francisco’s “window” of contention might not be as gaping as it was a year ago.
On Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith voiced serious concern about the 49ers’ days of potential glory dwindling with analysts Shannon Sharpe and Bart Scott.
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“The window’s still open, but I do think it’s closing,” Smith said. “First of all, the Brock Purdy [contract] situation. Right now, you have Trent Williams who won’t show up to camp until his contract is readjusted -- that’s number two. Number three -- the last five years, the 49ers have been in four NFC title games, two Super Bowls and not a single ring to show for it.
“Now I don’t know about y’all, but at some point, if you’re knocking and knocking and knocking, there are two theories you can lean on: number 1, you can kick the door in. Or number two, you’re out of luck.”
.@stephenasmith believes the 49ers' Super Bowl window is closing 👀
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 27, 2024
"The last five years ... the 49ers have been in four NFC title games, two Super Bowls, and not a single ring to show for it." pic.twitter.com/ZOhblcj0Qz
As Smith recalled, heartbreak has become routine for San Francisco.
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The 49ers twice have lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs when it counts -- in Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVIII -- and have been a handful of clutch playoff plays away from potentially making more appearances on football’s biggest stage.
Coming up short after finishing a combined 54-29 since the 2019 NFL season has left the 49ers with a cloud of doubt looming overhead from outsiders.
Though, the belief that San Francisco “can’t win the big game” isn’t all. Smith is worried the rest of the league -- at least the NFC -- is catching up to the 49ers.
“The Detroit [Lions] are here,” Smith emphasized. “The [Los Angeles] Rams are coming. [The] Green Bay [Packers] are coming. The Philadelphia Eagles got some making-up to do … now you got them with Saquon Barkley…
“I take all of those things into consideration. And I am looking at the 49ers, I can’t consider [the window] as wide open as last year. Brandon Aiyuk, he’s still not signed yet. You have to take care of him in order for that window to still be open.”
San Francisco narrowly avoided losses to Green Bay and Detroit -- consecutively -- in the 2024 playoffs.
Those two teams will be hungry to get revenge.
The 49ers, like Smith, understand Father Time is in a rush and a big target rests on their back.
San Francisco’s upcoming quest for its sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy already has been off to a rocky start this offseason. The regular season is primed to be treacherous, too.
But Smith didn’t mention one thing: winning it all is the standard for the 49ers.
And sometimes, even when the window appears to be closed, teams with that approach can pull off feats deemed out of reach.
Just ask Steph Curry and the Warriors. The franchise across the Bay won the 2022 NBA Finals years after many “experts” wrote Golden State off.
Smith likely isn’t accounting for some Bay Area magic in his assessment of the 49ers.