San Francisco 49ers: 5 Steps to Fix the Franchise in 2017
The San Francisco 49ers need a top-to-bottom overhaul as soon as possible. Niner Noise presents five steps the team can take to make sure the Niners start getting back on track in 2017.
Jan 15, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York looks on during a press conference to introduce Jim Tomsula as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Sorry, San Francisco 49ers fans. This isn’t going to be a quick process.
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The Niners’ rebuild is likely going to take a while — a long while. And that stretch between now and when San Francisco is a Super Bowl contender again might easily take a few years at the least.
Still, there are steps that can be taken as soon as Week 17 of this ugly 2016 season draws to a close.
Keep in mind, these are merely suggestions from myself based on what I’ve seen, read and think. No one solution is perfect. And, of course, these aren’t predictions of what the 49ers will do once this season comes to a close.
But it’s what they should do.
Almost all of this falls on CEO Jed York. Whether or not he retains the same sort of power next year is debatable. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported the York family would strip Jed York’s power. Yet Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News reported on Dr. John York not having any interest in doing so.
Regardless of who is calling the shots, here are five moves the Niners need to make ASAP.
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York (left), Chip Kelly (center), and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) pose for a photo in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5: Clean House Completely
Yes, the 49ers need to blow the whole thing up and start from scratch.
This would mean everyone in the front office could be on the outs. But let’s stick with the big names.
General manager Trent Baalke is likely gone already. But cleaning house would mean head coach Chip Kelly would be gone too.
Now the 1-13 record this season might not totally be Kelly’s fault. He’s played a role in it, but he didn’t exactly inherit the best of situations.
I know what you’re thinking — the Niners need continuity for once. And a four different head coaches in as many years isn’t a good look.
Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat laid this out:
And you realize, yes, the only thing worse than firing Kelly after one season would be firing him after two. Because your franchise will invest a high draft pick in a quarterback just a few months from now, and firing Kelly after the quarterback’s rookie season would force that quarterback to learn two different offenses his first two years in the NFL. And that’s how you ruin your investment.
You must be prepared to fire Kelly now and hire someone better if you can find that person. You have to make a list.
I don’t always agree with Cohn. But in this case I do. Kelly simply isn’t the right guy to engineer a rebuild in Santa Clara. Other coaches, for sure. Just not Kelly.
And if you’re not on board with Cohn’s argument, just take Matt Miller’s argument on Bleacher Report. It’s the exact same.
Jul 17, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York holds the scissors from the ribbon cutting ceremony at Levi’s Stadium between his father John York and mother Marie DeBartolo with his sisters, brother, wife and son. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4: Let Football People Do Football Things
The next step in the line of fixes for CEO Jed York, or whoever, would be to find someone capable of making all the high-level football decisions for the franchise.
Let someone with a football IQ make the selections for general manager, vice president of player personnel, head coach or whatever.
In short, get someone else to make the football-type decisions. Meanwhile, whichever York in charge steps away from power.
There are plenty of NFL owners who operate behind the scenes. Not everyone needs to be a Jerry Jones or act like the late Al Davis. No, some of the most effective owners are those who let football people make football decisions.
Case in point, Washington Redskins majority owner Dan Snyder used to be considered one of the worst executives in the NFL. But in recent years, Snyder has taken more of a back-seat approach.
The Redskins, well, they’re pretty good now.
San Francisco needs to follow this path.
April 19, 2012; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new 49ers stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3: Create a Clear Vision for the 49ers
When Hall of Famer Steve Young called out the York family on a recent interview with KNBR 680, one of the other things Young pointed out was how the 49ers lack any sort of identity.
What is San Francisco’s identity right now?
Fans knew what it was during the years under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Niners were a team that was going to beat you up on both sides of the ball, grind you down with the running game and simply overpower you with strong offensive and defensive lines.
Whatever identity the 2016 49ers have isn’t working. Fans know this too.
So this points to an increasingly important aspect of those “football people,” described on the previous slide, into focus — create some sort of vision.
Exactly what this vision is, I can’t say. But Fortune 500 businesses all have clear visions. They have short-, medium-, and long-term goals laid out with reasonable objectives and the means by which to achieve them. This approach is what makes such businesses successful.
San Francisco needs to be patient too. As noted earlier, this isn’t going to be a one- or two-year rebuild. It’s going to take a while.
Create a plan and go with it. The identity will follow.
Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2: Aggressive-but-Smart Moves in Free Agency
The 49ers are going to have plenty of cap space in 2017. According to Over the Cap, San Francisco will have approximately $45.13 million in space. And that number does not include the carryover of unused space from this season.
The Niners’ methodology in recent years hasn’t been to spend lucratively on high-profile free agents, which is fine. But the 2017 offseason is in a slightly different context.
A casual look at the list of free agents would convince some the 49ers should simply splurge to upgrade as much as possible. True, San Francisco is likely going to have to overpay a number of top-tier free agents this offseason. The Niners can afford this, but we all know those four- and five-year mega deals almost always wind up haunting teams going this route.
So the 49ers should do this — pick three or four free agents the team is willing to spend big money on. No more. And prioritize them, as would be the case in an NFL Draft big board (i.e. Target No. 1, target No. 2 and so on).
Names like wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, cornerback Trumaine Johnson and maybe even quarterback Kirk Cousins might be on the radar. It will be up to the general manager — keeping in line with the vision, of course.
But the rest of the crop should be mid-level players hitting their prime now.
San Francisco doesn’t need to find Pro Bowl-caliber talent at each position. Instead, find guys who can be solid upgrades and contributors right away. And if draftees in 2017 and beyond wind up taking over starting roles, at least the Niners have quality backups — a situation the team doesn’t enjoy currently.
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of football fans in the stands during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Anderson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1: A Home-Run NFL Draft
It’s as obvious as it is cliche. But San Francisco absolutely needs to “hit it out of the park” in the 2017 NFL Draft.
As things stand now, the Niners are in position to land the No. 2 overall pick. They can stay put and land a top-two talent or even trade down and acquire more much-needed picks in return. Either way, this year’s draft class needs to be top notch.
The condition the 49ers are in right now does actually present an advantage. A talent-lacking roster means San Francisco doesn’t need to reach for any one particular player or position. The Niners need help almost everywhere.
So that doesn’t mean the 49ers have to feel compelled to grab a quarterback with their first pick if the value isn’t there. Trading down might be a wise move to address this and other concerns. But it’s only an option if the value isn’t quite right.
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The most important part to remember here for San Francisco is not to reach. They don’t need to trade up, and they certainly don’t need to take any new All-ACL team risks either.
Instead, the Niners can simply let the draft come to them. In this case, the best-player-available argument applies.
Even with all these steps taking place, San Francisco’s rebuild is going to take a while. It’s not going to happen in one season. Don’t expect it to. But with a handful of right moves, the process can begin and be set on a clear path towards the future.
