Steve Young Drops Bold 49ers Super Bowl Verdict While Issuing One Key Warning to Kyle Shanahan

With the preseason peaking around the corner, every franchise is brimming with optimism. While the reality of that will only start coming to light from September, the offseason moves have given many indications about the prospects of each team. As for 49ers legend QB Steve Young, it looks like his old team has a clear path to the Super Bowl, given that everything runs smoothly going forward.

Finishing 12th in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers’ 6-11 season still brings a bitter taste to the team. Player injuries marred their chances a lot. Brock Purdy’s explosive 2023 season performance was also missing last season. But keeping that in mind, the front office made some major offseason moves going into 2025. For Steve Young, these moves have been a masterstroke.

Steve Young shared his thoughts on the Rich Eisen Show, talking about the 49ers’ offseason moves. As Young put it, “I’m very happy with how they handled the offseason. They had a clear plan. – It wasn’t a complete restructure, but it was retooling and making every move was tactical and smart and fast. And then signing everybody and getting everybody on board. I just thought they handled the off-season perfectly.” The first order of business was to secure the veterans with extensions. QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle, and LB Fred Warner continue in the Niners’ locker room with shiny new contracts. But with those extensions, caps took a major hit and 17 roster gaps needed to be filled. The solution? 11 new names on the roster that bring the promise of youth and untapped potential, who quickly need to adapt to the NFL now.

The guardrails are wider for the Niners this year. It’s different, but yet there’s still a path forward to go attack the Super Bowl. https://t.co/bWtGuq2IY3

— Steve Young (@SteveYoungQB) June 12, 2025

The 49ers notably had one of the best rosters the last few years. As Steve Young further added, “and now, they’re in that space where they’re no longer going to come out of the locker room with the best roster in football, which they’ve done for five or six years. And with the best locker room, they got along, they fought for each other, they had their back. That’s why they were in Super Bowls in the last few years.” From 2019 all the way through the last season, the team has consistently had elite playmakers in their roster. Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa have all notably earned Pro Bowls or All-Pro recognitions over the years. Kittle, McCaffrey, and Aiyuk have consistently found themselves named as the Niners’ top players in recent years. Now, the tides have shifted a little for the team.

The Niners’ locker room finds itself without several key playmakers like Leonard Floyd, Kyle Juszczyk, Aaron Banks, and Maliek Collins. The three All-Pros, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, and Deebo Samuel, have also gone their separate ways. While Young believes they may not have the best roster now, there’s still a chance for the team to charge at the Super Bowl this year. But that Super Bowl run comes with certain conditions that need to be met. As far as Steve Young is concerned, there are some things that HC Kyle Shanahan will need to be wary of, to ensure his team has the best chances of winning.

Steve Young’s warnings for the 49ers

Last season, injuries prevented several key players from participating in the bulk of the season, forcing them to sit on the IR list. For Steve Young, the first order of business for the Niners will be to make sure all the veterans are in prime playing condition. And the most crucial piece that needs to stay healthy is the veteran OT Trent Williams. As Young put it, “Like if Trent Williams goes down, that offensive line is not the offensive. That’s not an offensive line that’s, you know, top five in the league. But with Trent, you can survive it. Now, if the veterans stay healthy, and now you got all your rookies that need to pop.” Trent Williams is coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for the last 7 games of the ‘24 season. If another injury sidelines the 3x All-Pro, the Niners’ chances go down significantly.

Steve Young also stressed the importance of Brock Purdy’s continued development under center. With his key pieces injured last year, he faced struggles that directly impacted his performance. If a similar situation arises this year, Purdy might have his work cut out for him again. As Young noted, “But if it goes like last year, people are hurt. That’s not happening. Protection starts to break down. I got to start running around. Ball starts to fly. All of a sudden there’s interceptions. That’s a tough spot.” Young also believes if the “speed and attack on defenses are tight,” Purdy’s plays will get chances to shine.

As long as the team remains healthy and the rookies can show their skills on the gridiron, the 49ers are in contention. As Steve Young firmly believes, “the guardrails are wider for the 49ers this year. Like it’s different, but yet there’s still a path forward to go attack the Super Bowl.” The former QB is betting on his old team. And if all goes well, will Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy have a chance to take the league by storm?

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