Even though the 49ers' 2024 NFL season is not officially over yet, their odds of making another Super Bowl run, let alone securing a playoff spot, are microscopic.
While many outside the organization believe this was the final year of San Francisco's championship window, former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman disagrees, even if/when the 49ers (5-7) are eliminated from playoff contention in the coming weeks.
Sherman was asked by co-host Mitch Eisenstein on the latest episode of "The Richard Sherman Podcast" about the status of San Francisco's championship window past this season, and explained how he believes it can remain open moving forward.
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"I don't know if this is going to be the end of it. It's going to be a real, real challenge going forward, and it's going to be up to the scouting department and the front office in which they've lost a lot of people," Sherman explained.
" ... And this is going to be their greatest challenge this year to find some young guys to fill those gaps. You're going to have to find some young offensive linemen that have to play at a very high level. They found a right guard in [Dominick] Puni that I think is going to be around for a while, but you're likely going to have to find another center. I'm not sure [Jake] Brendel is the answer long-term. You're probably going to have to find another young left guard to compete at that spot. You're going to have to find an heir apparent for Trent Williams for whenever he decides to retire and hang it up."
Sherman ultimately believes the top half of the 49ers' roster is too talented to undergo a rebuild, and that the team needs better depth behind its star players to help offset injuries and prepare for the departures of aging veterans.
"That's what it's going to have to be. I don't think the window's closed. I think this is too talented of a team, and I know everyone wants to say you're either Super Bowl or bust, or you're not [a Super Bowl team], but there's too much talent on this team to be that way," Sherman added. "Now they do need to find more depth, they need to find more below the superstars in order for this team to be more consistent, because they're so top-heavy.
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"When you lose a guy or two, it just falls off the rails so fast on both sides of the football. If you lose Christian McCaffrey, you lost him for a while, you found Jordan Mason, so that kind of helped out. Now it's fine. But then you lose Brandon Aiyuk and you lose a huge part of your offense pushing the ball down the field, and now it looks like you don't understand how to push the ball down the field. Who's going to fill that spot? Then you lose Trent Williams and your whole offensive line looks different."
The 49ers, following an ugly 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night at Highmark Stadium, are two games behind the Seattle Seahawks (7-5) for first place in the NFC West and 2.5 games behind the Washington Commanders (8-5) for the third and final wild-card spot.
The 49ers' path back to the playoffs is not impossible, but not likely. And if San Francisco's offseason indeed does begin as early as Jan. 5 at approximately 1 p.m. PT after its Week 18 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sherman believes coach Kyle Shanahan and president of football operations/general manager John Lynch have their work cut out for them.
"I think they're going to have to show that they can develop and draft more depth in order for this team to get back to where they need to be next season, but I don't think it's over," Sherman concluded.
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