The Best-Case and Worst-Case Scenarios for the 49ers in 2025

The 49ers either will be really good or a complete disaster this season. There's no in between with them.

In Kyle Shanahan's eight seasons as 49ers head coach, they've made the NFC Championship game four times and missed the playoffs four times. They don't do mediocrity. They either dominate the league or they tank.

That's their best-case and worst-case scenarios for 2025 are drastically different according to CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin.

"Best-case scenario: Overlooked after their injury-riddled 2024 flop, the 49ers' top leaders -- Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle -- return to health, and Robert Saleh's 'D' powers San Francisco all the way back to the Super Bowl," writes Benjamin.

"Worst-case scenario: Purdy's big-money extension draws fair critique as the quarterback struggles to shake hiccups while trailing, and continued bumps and bruises to McCaffrey and Co. leave Kyle Shanahan straining for answers.

Benjamin did a good job laying out the two extreme potential outcomes for the 49ers. If things go well, their injury-prone players on offense will stay healthy, their inexperienced players on defense will develop rapidly under Saleh's direction and the team will make a deep run into the playoffs.

If things don't go well, injury-prone players will get injured again, rookies will play like rookies, Purdy will play like he did last season and the 49ers will miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. Which means Shanahan would have more losing seasons than winning ones.

High stakes for the 49ers. Either way, the season should be entertaining.