San Francisco had a game plan coming into the 2025 NFL season under head coach Kyle Shanahan . The 49ers did not re-sign any of their free agents, and they released Deebo Samuel along with three defensive players of their 2024 starters for salary cap and rebuild reasons. The 49ers’ front office structure included contingency planning for major injuries to key players, ensuring they could navigate the salary cap and roster construction challenges.

The team was shaken in Week 3 when franchise defensive end Nick Bosa tore an ACL during San Francisco’s victory against the Arizona Cardinals . The injury turned into a season-ending injury; it is a huge blow to the defense.

San Francisco had, however, a financial safety net. As David Lombardi analyzed on X, “As I said yesterday, the

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