
The 49ers were one quarter away from Super Bowl LVI last season. Despite returning most of the key players from last year’s club, the national perception of San Francisco has been clouded by a transition away from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the unknown commodity with quarterback Trey Lance. An offseason full of talk about how Lance wasn’t ready left the 49ers behind or on the back burner in discussions about this season’s Super Bowl contenders.
Now as the preseason winds down and preparations begin for the regular season, the 49ers are making their way back into the national spotlight. A few former NFL players-turned-analysts are banging the drum for the 49ers as Super Bowl contenders.