The Kansas City Chiefs are a dynasty, fresh off their third Super Bowl win in five years. But the San Francisco 49ers are already early favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2024 season, with oddsmakers deeming them 2025's top Super Bowl contender after their second-place finish.
History tells us that teams who lose in the Super Bowl rarely return to the big game the next season; it's only happened eight times since the first Super Bowl closed the 1966 campaign. But betting markets aren't crazy to suggest San Francisco could make a second straight run at the Lombardi. Here are three reasons why:
1. Brock Purdy is just settling in
Set aside the quarterback's battle-tested poise, which shows itself in a servant-leadership approach well beyond his years. Barely 24, just one-and-a-half seasons into a starting role, Purdy has proven to be one of the game's most efficient signal-callers. Better yet, he's not a stationary player, incapable of creating on his own. From his first start through the Super Bowl on Sunday, he's helped extend plays with an underrated elusiveness, suggesting all the physical tools are there for continued top-10 production under center. And his rookie contract should enable the club to continue investing in his supporting cast, including up front.
2. The all-star foundation is locked up
It's a minor miracle -- in actuality, a testament to general manager John Lynch's roster-building -- that San Francisco enters the offseason projected to be barely over the 2024 salary cap, all while only one (1) full-time starter under the age of 30 is set to be an unrestricted free agent. (And that one starter, Chase Young, only arrived midseason; he's destined to return the club a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere.) Every pivotal piece of their title-contending puzzle -- Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Charvarius Ward, etc. -- is under contract through at least 2024. And the same can basically be said for the staff, with only pass-game specialist Klint Kubiak leaving for a promotion.
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3. They've conquered heartbreak before
At the end of the day, the personnel and schematic designs matter much more than "team morale." Every year, after all, 31 teams experience the sting of a failed title run. But it's not like Kyle Shanahan and Co. are strangers to this kind of exit. Shanahan, of course, has now weathered three different double-digit blown leads in the Super Bowl, first as a coordinator and now twice as a head coach. He's proven his mettle. Many of his veterans, meanwhile, have also come back from NFC title-game defeats. If the talent is still intact, we also have evidence that this franchise's resilient spirit will also keep San Francisco in the hunt.
