San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers will reportedly likely be without yet another running back for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Isaac Guerendo "is unlikely to play" because of a hamstring injury. San Francisco has already lost Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell to season-ending injuries at the position.

It is a testament to head coach Kyle Shanahan and the offense that the running back position has still produced despite so many setbacks.

First, it was Mason filling in for McCaffrey. Then, it was Guerendo filling in for both when he ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns in a Dec. 8 win over the Chicago Bears. Guerendo was also the primary back in the team's last game against the Los Angeles Rams and finished with 16 carries for 57 yards.

He has played well when given the opportunity this year, as he also finished with 85 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries against the Dallas Cowboys and 99 yards on 10 carries against the Seattle Seahawks in October contests.

It seems like it will be next-man-up again for the 49ers against the Dolphins, and, of note to fantasy football players, that figures to be Patrick Taylor Jr.

Taylor has played sparingly this season, although he finished with seven carries for 25 yards and a touchdown in that win over the Bears. The October win over the Seahawks was the only other time he finished with more than two carries, and he posted five carries for 16 yards to go with one catch for 12 yards.

The overall injuries have been part of a disappointing season for the 49ers.

Despite realistic Super Bowl aspirations coming into the campaign, they are just 6-8 overall and 1-4 in their last five games. They have not been officially eliminated from the playoff race, but they would need to win out and receive significant help elsewhere in order to be a factor.

The first step would be a victory over the Dolphins, but it appears they will be short-handed once again at running back.

The San Francisco 49ers suspended De'Vondre Campbell three games after the linebacker refused to enter the game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, likely ending his time with the team.

Kyle Shanahan said that he thought highly of Campbell after spending time together with the Atlanta Falcons, but ultimately wishes he hadn't brought Campbell to San Francisco this offseason.

"I was with De'Vondre his rookie year in Atlanta, so I knew what he was capable of," Shanahan said, per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith. "Not that I was real close with the defensive guys, being the offensive coordinator there, but I know we liked him in that building. I know a lot of guys who have coached him who have been good. And we obviously made a mistake. It's not something that we didn't look into. We look into everything. You weigh the risk-reward of stuff. You weigh the situation that you have and what decision you can make in terms of the options. By no means was it our first option. But at the time, with what went down, we thought it was our best option. And it didn't work out."

The 49ers signed Campbell to a one-year, $5 million deal in March, shortly after his release from the Green Bay Packers. Following his Packers' release, Campbell spoke out about his issues with the team on social media, which Shanahan said the 49ers addressed before signing him.

Ultimately, San Francisco needed a new linebacker after Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl.

"We look into all that. It was tough losing Dre," Shanahan said. "We knew we were going to need a starting-caliber linebacker. We had two guys that we thought we had committed that we lost in free agency. Then another guy got cut after that and became available."

Campbell had a productive season until Thursday's refusal to enter the game. He was the Niners' second-leading tackler with 79 on the year and had two passes defended. While it was far from his All-Pro season in 2021 when he recorded 146 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions, it was more than enough to make him a reliable option for San Francisco.

Now the 49ers are down a linebacker for the remainder of the season, though their year is likely coming to an end soon as their playoff chances dwindle. San Francisco will face the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals to close out the regular season, all must-wins to reach the postseason.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, who has missed his team's last four games with an ankle injury, may sit the remainder of the season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan delivered that news to reporters on Wednesday:

The 11-time Pro Bowler has been a first-team All-Pro each of the past three seasons.

Obviously, missing Williams for any amount of time is a tremendous loss given his elite play. Unfortunately, he's just another in a long line of key injuries for the defending NFC champions.

Players out for the season include wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, interior offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and running back Christian McCaffrey.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw just recently debuted in 2024 after suffering a torn Achilles during last February's Super Bowl. Safety Talanoa Hufanga has only played four games after landing on injured reserve with a right wrist ailment. Edge-rusher Nick Bosa also missed three games with hip/oblique injuries.

And now Williams appears done in what's become a lost year for the 6-8 49ers, who currently sit last in the NFC West. The team currently has less than a one percent chance to make the playoffs, per NFL.com. So it doesn't make much sense for Williams to play hurt or risk re-injury at this juncture.

Without Williams, the 49ers have turned to Jaylon Moore at left tackle. Moore has served as Williams' backup over the past four seasons. Pro Football Focus ranks him 17th among 132 offensive tackles, and he hasn't given up a sack in 238 offensive snaps.

As for the 49ers, they'll visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday before closing out the season with a home game against the Detroit Lions and a road matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals.

San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel raised some eyebrows last week when he posted on social media that he was "not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!" amidst criticism of his play in the 2024 season.

A crucial drop on a third-down play during Thursday's 12-6 loss against the Los Angeles Rams didn't help his cause, to the point that NFL legend and Niners' great Jerry Rice called him out on Monday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast:

I don't know what is going on, because the weirdest thing is I think he had like three catches for 16 yards... for me, I would have been pissed. I would have been pissed at myself, I would have been pissed at the whole scenario, and I would pretty much go to work on the football field, at practice. And if you do it during practice, you're going to be able to do it during the game.

That ball that he dropped, after you complain about not getting that many touches, you cannot drop the football. Because everybody is going to get down on you and they're going to come after you. I never said anything about not getting touches or anything like that. I just worked, man. I just kept working, and if you show it during practice, they're going to make the call during the actual football game where you're going to have opportunities, where you can make catches, get into a rhythm and be productive.

Samuel, 28, has not had a good season, at least by the lofty standards he's previously set, catching 43 passes for 569 yards and a touchdown while adding 34 carries for 95 yards and a score. The expectation, with Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey out for the season, was that Samuel would post far bigger numbers and have a larger role in the offense.

Instead, it's been George Kittle who has picked up the slack, leading the team in receptions (60), receiving yards (861) and receiving touchdowns (eight). Jauan Jennings has also had a strong season, posting 59 catches for 805 yards and six scores.

Perhaps Samuel and quarterback Brock Purdy simply don't have chemistry. He was the third option in the passing game last year as well, and McCaffrey's two-way ability limited Samuel's overall usage.

Brock Purdy's struggles during a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football may impact his future contract negotiations with the team.

"The new contract for Purdy [in the offseason] was a slam dunk for me until Thursday night," one NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic. "What I saw was a guy who was so limited physically that, I'm not saying I don't want him, it's just the first time I've said, 'Hmmm, he can't make those throws.'"

Purdy completed a season-low 45.2 percent of his throws for 142 yards and an interception without recording a touchdown. The 49ers were only able to muster 191 total yards on offense, averaging a mere 3.6 yards per play.

It marked the first time that San Francisco finished a regular-season game with a single-digit scoring total since Week 7 of the team's 2019 campaign.

Rainy conditions certainly impacted Purdy's efficiency, as Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also threw for just 160 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per attempt. Still, the executive was far from impressed with the 24-year-old's performance as San Francisco's season was on the line.

The 49ers now sit two games behind Los Angeles for the NFC West lead at 6-8, with the Rams holding a tiebreaker after sweeping their division rival in both 2024 matchups.

San Francisco may not be swayed by Purdy's subpar performance, though. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the 49ers still view him as their franchise quarterback and plan on negotiating a multi-year extension with him during the offseason.

In 13 starts this season, Purdy has completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,174 yards and 15 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions. He's also picked up 285 yards and four more scores on the ground.

After not being able to build off his breakout 2023 campaign that included 31 touchdown passes and a Pro Bowl nod, the 49ers could take his latest subpar performance into account when negotiating a long-term deal with the quarterback.

The San Francisco 49ers announced they suspended linebacker De'Vondre Campbell for three games after he refused to play in their 12-6 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

"We have suspended De'Vondre Campbell Sr. for three games due to conduct detrimental to the team," general manager John Lynch said. "We will have no further comment on the matter."

The suspension ends Campbell's season since the 49ers only have three games left on their regular season schedule, and he has in all likelihood played his last game for the team.

ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported the linebacker's locker has been emptied:

In the aftermath of the Rams loss, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team intended to move on from the 31-year-old and was "working through the semantics of exactly how to deal with it."

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer followed up Sunday to report the 49ers were looking to suspend Campbell and "working with the league office to see what's the max they can do."

The Baltimore Ravens responded to a similar situation by suspending wide receiver Diontae Johnson for one game. A three-game ban for Campbell looks harsh by comparison.

The internal reaction to each case could help explain the differing punishments.

Some of Johnson's fellow wideouts were quick to move past the story and said they were happy to keep him on the team. Campbell, on the other hand, received immediate scorn from both Shanahan and his teammates.

That's to say nothing of how people outside of the organization weighed in. ESPN's Ryan Clark went so far to say the 2021 All-Pro "should never play again."

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that suspending Campbell would allow San Francisco to take back as much as $167,500 from his original $3.35 million signing bonus. Then there are the checks he'd forfeit for the games in which he was suspended.

Beyond the hit to his reputation, Campbell's refusal to play will have a tangible impact on his earnings for the 2024 season.

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to suspend linebacker De'Vondre Campbell instead of releasing him outright, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport reported the Niners, by suspending Campbell, might be able to "claw back" a portion of his original $3.35 million signing bonus.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer corroborated that reporting and added the Niners are "working with the league office to see what's the max they can do."

Campbell received widespread scorn inside and outside of the organization after refusing the enter the game in the third quarter of San Francisco's 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. According to Glazer, general manager John Lynch "confronted" Campbell in the fourth quarter and sent him to the locker room when it was clear he didn't intend to play.

Given how multiple 49ers teammates immediately went on the record to criticize Campbell, it was clear pretty quickly he doesn't have much of a future with the team. Head coach Kyle Shanahan then confirmed as much Friday, telling reporters the Niners were "working through the semantics of exactly how to deal with it."

"But I mean you guys heard from me last night, you guys heard from our players, his actions from the game, it's not something you can do to your team or your teammates and still get to be a part of our team," Shanahan said. "We're working through exactly the semantics of it right now, but we'll handle the situation appropriately."

Beyond the financial incentives for San Francisco, Rapoport noted there's probably a sense that cutting Campbell would only reward him for his actions.

Were the 2021 All-Pro to clear waivers, a contending team might be willing to give him another chance. An experienced linebacker who has 79 tackles through 13 games would be an attractive addition at such a late juncture of the season.

It's unclear how long the 49ers intend to suspend Campbell. They have three games left in the regular season.

A three-game ban would be on the high end considering the Baltimore Ravens sat wide receiver Diontae Johnson one game for the same infraction.

Even if Campbell is only out for San Francisco's Week 16 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, he will have paid a price. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted he'd be out more than $234,000.

The San Francisco 49ers caused Taylor Swift some stress by taking the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime last February during Super Bowl LVIII.

When signing merchandise for a fan, Swift was asked if her song "Paper Rings" was about 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, according to a TikTok shared by a parent.

"Brock Purdy? I mean, I don't mind Brock Purdy, but... he put me through a lot last February," Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, answered. "I was very stressed for a second. But it all ended up fine."

The 49ers grabbed a fourth-quarter lead late in the championship game thanks to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Purdy.

The Chiefs blocked the extra point, then were able to tie the score with a late field goal.

The game came down to overtime, where the 49ers won the coin toss and asked to receive the ball. San Francisco was forced to settle for a field goal on the first drive.

The Chiefs then capped off the second possession of overtime with a touchdown that won Patrick Mahomes and Kelce their third championship title in four years.

Swift and Kelce have been dating since the fall of 2023. The singer was in attendance at Allegiant Stadium to celebrate the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory last February.

She and Kelce are likely both hoping for another trip to the championship game this spring. The Chiefs most recently improved to a 12-1 record while clinching the top spot in the AFC West with a Week 14 over the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday.

Despite their unexpected struggles this season, the San Francisco 49ers are reportedly sticking with their plan at quarterback and head coach moving forward.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Niners still view Purdy as their franchise quarterback, and they plan on negotiating a multi-year contract extension with him during the offseason.

Also, head coach Kyle Shanahan is not on the hot seat, as the organization "fully believes in his ability to lead the team forward."

Following Thursday night's 12-6 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers fell to 6-8 on the season, putting them in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

San Francisco has made three consecutive playoff appearances and went all the way to overtime of the Super Bowl last season before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Expectations were high again this season, but several key players have missed a significant amount of time due to injury.

Purdy missed a game due to a shoulder injury, while offensive tackle Trent Williams, pass-rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Charvarius Ward and tight end George Kittle have missed multiple games.

Also, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL seven games into the season, and running back Christian McCaffrey has been limited to four games due to injured reserve stints with Achilles and knee ailments.

Even when healthy, the 24-year-old Purdy has clearly taken a step back this season compared to his first two seasons.

As a rookie in 2022, Purdy took over as the starter with five games remaining in the regular season, went 5-0 and led the Niners to the NFC Championship Game.

In his first full season as the starter in 2023, Purdy went 12-4 and completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions en route to finishing fourth in the NFL MVP voting.

This season, Purdy is 6-7, is completing 65.0 percent of his pass attempts and has thrown for 3,174 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine picks.

That dip in performance is easier to accept considering that Purdy is playing on a seventh-round pick rookie contract, but if he receives a significant extension during the offseason, the 49ers will need far more out of him next season and beyond.

Shanahan is in the midst of his eighth season as head coach of the 49ers, and he has enjoyed enormous success during that time.

Overall, Shanahan is 70-59 with three NFC West titles, four playoff appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl.

Even amid the injuries, Shanahan has the San Francisco offense eighth in total yardage this season, marking the fourth straight seasons the 49ers have ranked eighth or better in that category.

Their scoring has dropped to 15th in the league, but they ranked sixth in 2022 and third last season when they were healthier.

Given that Shanahan had molded the 49ers into perennial contenders prior to this season, it comes as little surprise that the franchise does not plan on moving on from him regardless of how the final three weeks of the regular season play out.

The brother of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was not impressed on Thursday by Kyle Shanahan's coaching during the Niners' 12-6 defeat by the Los Angeles Rams.

Billy Garoppolo posted a photo of Shanahan to his Instagram story captioned "Offensive Guru," followed by a string of laughing emojis.

The 49ers were held to two field goals while the Rams scored four in the first NFL game of the 2024 season to not include a touchdown.

Shanahan, who is in his seventh season as the 49ers' head coach, previously worked with Garoppolo for five seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Garoppolo led the 49ers as far as the Super Bowl in 2020, but was intercepted on his final pass of the game as San Francisco lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The franchise took the first step toward moving on from Garoppolo the following spring, when the Niners traded up to draft quarterback Trey Lance in 2021.

By the end of the 2022 season, the team and quarterback's relationship had deteriorated to the point where Shanahan and the 49ers coaching staff believed Garoppolo "tuned them out" during the playoffs, according to The Athletic's Tim Kawakami.

Garoppolo hasn't found success as a starter outside San Francisco. He earned six starts before he was benched during his 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and has yet to play in 2024 while serving as a backup for the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers meanwhile returned to the Super Bowl in their first season without Garoppolo, but have collapsed this season with a 6-8 start that has them on the brink of official elimination from postseason contention heading into Week 15.

The loss to the Rams was highlighted by passing struggles. Brock Purdy was 0-for-7 with an interception on passes over 20 yards, per ESPN's Benjamin Solak. George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel meanwhile combined for nine catches on 23 targets.

The 49ers' postseason hopes could officially end with a Seattle Seahawks win on Sunday, but Shanahan will still look to focus on improving his team's passing offense going forward as Seattle prepares to make a potential long-term extension offer to Purdy this offseason.