The 49ers brass has made it clear that they entered the 2021 season hoping that returning a large portion of their core from their Super Bowl run would produce a similar result to the fantastic season the team had in 2019. The problem with that was, no matter how many players were brought back, a large portion of the coaching staff has moved on, and as such, a key ingredient in the recipe for success was never going to be a part of the equation in 2021.
While the 49ers have really only had ONE season of objective success since Kyle Shanahan took over, there was a clear desire from teams around the league to poach some of the talent that had been amassed among the 49ers staff.