49ers veterans send clear message on expectations for 2025 season

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was this year's recipient of the Dwight Clark Award, presented to the San Francisco 49ers player who best exemplifies Clark's spirit of teamwork and camaraderie. On Wednesday, Lenoir sat down with NBC Sports' Laura Britt at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series event, where he was asked a straightforward question: What are you most looking forward to this season?

"Really, the Super Bowl," Lenoir responded, drawing cheers from the fans in attendance.

While some have cast doubt on the 49ers' ability to bounce back from a 6-11 season, especially after a significant offseason roster overhaul, Lenoir remains locked in on the pursuit of a championship after coming up just short during the 2023 campaign.

Lenoir acknowledged the team's growing youth and said it's now up to veterans like himself to help guide the younger players in learning the 49ers' way.

"I feel like, once the culture is in the locker room, that everybody will just follow along," Lenoir said.

The cornerback also praised the team's resilience, noting that the 49ers never quit, even after their playoff hopes were dashed last season.

"I feel like we still played with integrity," Lenoir added.

Tight end George Kittle shares Lenoir's belief that critics may be underestimating the 49ers in 2025. Despite numerous changes, he says the team's strong culture remains firmly in place.

"When you can bring in guys who are kind of like-minded to the culture that we've established, it kind of just allows you to keep that culture going and feed these new guys into it," Kittle said. "Yes, we're going to look different. I think we're going to look a little bit more different on defense and offense, but I think the way that we drafted, the free agents that we brought in, we have the opportunity to go out there and compete in a lot of football games."