The San Francisco 49ers will look like a very different team this season.
They went through a bit of a roster overhaul, adding young pieces after years of having one of the most expensive rosters in the game.
Of course, that also included moving on from several veterans, such as Deebo Samuel.
That’s why franchise legend Jerry Rice has some doubts about their outlook for the upcoming campaign.
Talking to Cam Inman of The Bay Area News Group, Rice admitted that he’s worried about the influx of youth.
While they could have a competitive team for years to come, he thinks it might take a while before they get up to speed in the league, and he would much rather watch the team run it back with their veterans for at least another season:
“I just feel like we added on too many pieces. The reason why I say that is these guys are young guys,” Rice told Inman. “I would have preferred to sort of leave everything like last year, add on to that, and have a chance for this coming year. I’m always going to go Niners no matter what. But we’re bringing in so many young players. It’s going to take a while for that team to jell. If it doesn’t happen this year, then maybe the next couple of years.”
Granted, that makes sense, but last year also showed the big risks that come with having such an aging and overpriced roster.
The Niners struggled with injuries, and they went from making a trip to the Super Bowl to not even making the playoffs.
Also, if they intended to pay Brock Purdy like they did, it was just a matter of time before they had to bring in younger and cheaper players.
The Niners are now one of the most intriguing teams in the league, as they have a proven head coach and some stars, but might not be as good a team as they were a couple of years ago.
Perhaps having Robert Saleh back will help them return to their defensive dominance, but other than that, they will have to earn their stripes again.
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