SEATTLE -- Inside a quiet San Francisco 49ers locker room, in the moments after the Seattle Seahawks had resoundingly ended their season, the team found themselves stuck somewhere between stunned at what had just happened and proud of what they'd accomplished.
The Seahawks had just handed the 49ers a 41-6 defeat that sits as the second-largest playoff loss in franchise history and the biggest since coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017. Despite the freshness of the wounds of such a blowout loss to a heated division rival, the Niners couldn't help but find at least some solace in what they accomplished this season.
"It's such a weird emotional rollercoaster you go through," running back Christian McCaffrey said. "Everything you've gone through with this team for what it feels like 25 weeks in a row. And then it just ended. ... What I will say is in all my years playing, the proudest I've ever been to be a part of a team, it's this team."
McCaffrey's sentiment was shared by Shanahan and in all corners of the 49ers' locker room. The loss to Seattle ended an unlikely ride for a team that went through a significant roster reset in the offseason and then endured devastating injuries to its biggest stars to win 12 regular season games and knock off the defending world champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road in an NFC Wild Card game.
That it all happened in a season in which the 49ers leaned heavily into first- and second-year players for the first time since the early days of the Shanahan/general manager John Lynch regime not only had the Niners believing that they're headed back in the right direction but that any talk of a Super Bowl window being closed was premature.
After the game, quarterback Brock Purdy said he "100%" believes the 49ers can win a Super Bowl as soon as next season, citing the players already in place, those who will return from injury and the way that so many of the younger players performed throughout the season.
Right tackle Colton McKivitz echoed Purdy.
"Everyone counted this team out and they said the window closed in '23 when we lost," McKivitz said. "When you get young guys who play well, who get to play a lot of ball, I guess that window opens faster. Obviously, you're going to have your vet players that you're going to rely on to bring those guys along as well. But with the way this team's run, how it's coached, the way this team plays, that window is always going to be open. It's encouraging."
To be sure, the 49ers will have plenty to figure out in the coming months. Upon returning to San Francisco in the late hours of Saturday night, the Niners will prepare for exit meetings and locker cleanout day.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is set for more head coaching interviews in the coming days with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens after already speaking to the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has also received interview requests from the Las Vegas Raiders and Steelers.
If Saleh were to depart, the 49ers would have to hire their fifth defensive coordinator in as many years.
"I love both those guys and (they're) as good of coaches as I've been around and I know both of them will be head coaches," Shanahan said. "Whether it's in a week or so or whether it's over the next two years. We're lucky to have those guys. And for our sake, I hope that we'll still have them next year."
One important figure the 49ers should have is left tackle Trent Williams. Williams will turn 38 in July and confirmed again after Saturday's game that he intends to keep playing. In fact, Williams was one of the players most encouraged about the team's future coming out of this season, especially if it can get defensive end Nick Bosa (ACL), linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and tight end George Kittle (Achilles) back to full strength at some point.
"We had a lot of young guys that contributed a lot to our success, and they have really, really bright futures," Williams said. "I'm super proud of this team. Obviously, it didn't go the way we wanted to, but the future is really bright."
The 49ers now enter an offseason that figures to be critical in taking the next step to get them back into contention for the franchise's sixth Lombardi Trophy. There will be plenty of needs on the roster, not least of which include bolstering the pass rush, receiving corps, safety position and offensive line. A decision also looms on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's future after the team voided his future guarantees and placed him on the reserve/left team list.
That work all begins immediately, set against the backdrop of the real possibility that one of their NFC West rivals -- the Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams -- could win a Super Bowl in their home stadium in the coming weeks.
'We'll come in Monday and we'll deal with all this stuff and deal with all the players," Shanahan said. "And then we'll very quickly start our offseason plan and how to build this team the best way possible to give us a shot next year."
