The NFC’s defending champions return a loaded roster in 2024, enough to land them the conference’s No. 1 ranking in The Athletic’s yearly anonymous survey of NFL executives. “Who is stopping that offense? Are you kidding me?” quipped one executive.
Well, according to at least one member of the NFL’s top brass, at least two other teams.
One anonymous executive (The Athletic polled five) had the Niners finishing third, behind both the Lions and the Packers. They pointed to “some erosion of talent” and wondered if the 49ers could stay healthy again, given their seemingly annual run deep into the playoffs.