49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy walks on the field after the NFC Championship NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 31-7. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

49ers Enter the Offseason With Voids to Fill Following NFC Championship Loss

After suffering a 24-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field, the San Francisco 49ers will travel back to the west coast with uncertainty surrounding the team’s future.

This marks the second straight season in which the Niners fell just one win shy of a Super Bowl appearance. Head coach Kyle Shanahan called Sunday’s loss in Philadelphia “a lot harder.”

“I mean losing feel awful,” Shanahan said. “This one was a lot harder I thought.”

Free Agency

The 49ers have a handful of unrestricted free agents entering the offseason. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, safety Jimmie Ward, as well as defensive ends Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu are a few key players San Francisco will be forced to re-sign or let walk.

Despite the possibility Garoppolo leaving, the Niners still have two quarterbacks on their rookie contract — Trey Lance and Brock Purdy. With Garoppolo and Lance sidelined due to injuries, Purdy led San Francisco to seven straight victories until the NFC Championship Game.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1619841890588803072

After the loss, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said Purdy has “nothing to be sad about.”

“When Jimmy [Garoppolo] went down against the Dolphins, like we didn’t know what our season was going to be,” Warner said. “[Purdy] came in and did a heck of a job. He’s the reason we’re here right now.”

2023 NFL Draft

San Francisco will wait 98 picks before making its first draft selection this April.

In 2021, the Niners forfeited three first-round picks — including their 2023 first-rounder — to trade up to No. 3 overall to draft Lance.

Last October, the 49ers traded their 2023 second-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to acquire running back Christian McCaffrey.

Despite its lack of draft capital in the first two rounds, San Francisco has three consecutive third-round draft picks — 99th, 100th and 101st overall. The Niners will wait through the fourth round before making seven more draft selections in the final three rounds.

About Griffin Foll

Hi, my name is Griffin Foll and I am currently a senior at UF studying journalism with a focus on sports and media and an outside concentration in political science. In addition to covering the 2023 UF men's and women's golf beats, I contribute weekly web and radio content for WRUF ESPN Gainesville. Be sure to check out some of my recent articles!

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