After yet another heartbreaking postseason without a Super Bowl victory, many voices around the NFL believe the 49ers are mentally and emotionally exhausted.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on the latest "49ers Talk" episode that he believes the team is drained from so many seasons of deep playoff runs that have resulted in no championships.
“I remember hearing Steve Young say this during his playing career and we asked him about it at the Super Bowl: The longer you go in a playoff run, the more devastating it is to lose,” Florio said.
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“And I think that for what the 49ers have dealt with since 2019, to have to keep coming back from. Loss in the Super Bowl, loss in the NFC Championship, loss in the NFC Championship, Loss in the Super Bowl, there’s a point where it just becomes emotionally exhausting.”
Florio then described how challenging it can be for a coach like Kyle Shanahan to finally break through and win the big game as with each successive loss, the narrative gets louder that you cannot win a championship.
He compared Shanahan’s struggles to that of Bud Grant, who led the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances, losing each one.
“My concern, especially with Kyle is he’s going to become this generation’s Bud Grant potentially. Where, you get there, and you never get through the top,” Florio told Maiocco. “And each time he gets back there now, the narrative is going to get louder and louder, that this is your chance and it’s just going to be more on him next time.”
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While it is great to be consistently in contention for championships, Florio explained that Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid was in a similar situation to Shanahan when he was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, noting that a change of scenery was ultimately good for Reid and could be good for Shanahan if San Francisco is unable to get over the hump.
“So, it’s good to be on the doorstep, it’s good to be pounding on the door, but at some point, you have to kick that thing in. Or, and I raised the point after the Super Bowl, Andy Reid was with the Eagles from 1999-2012, and it was just time for a fresh start.
“Kyle’s already got seven years in, is there going to be a point where… you get so close, so tantalizingly close that many times and it rips your heart out while it’s still beating when the season ends, is it going to be good for everyone to just reset at some point.”
Shanahan and the entire 49ers organization face an uphill battle not to only win a Super Bowl, but to get back there as only one team in the past 25 seasons has made it back to the championship game following a loss the previous season.
With quarterback Brock Purdy still playing on his cheap rookie contract, the 49ers window has not closed yet but there are still plenty of question marks this offseason for San Francisco, particularly receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s contract situation.