Two of the most popular offseason phrases:
“He’s in the best shape of his life!”
“It’s Super Bowl or Bust this year!”
Can you ignore former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel’s workout pictures? Can you acknowledge that the Niners can have a successful season without hoisting a Lombardi?
They’re not a lock to make the playoffs by any means, but have the fourth-best odds in the NFC. Once you make the postseason, anything goes.
There are question marks surrounding this team that are enough to
prevent the 49ers from making a playoff run. There is also enough star power to pair with the coaching to cover that has been supplemented by depth, where another NFC Championship appearance wouldn’t be a surprise.
That brings us to today’s question of the day:
How would you define a ‘successful’ season for the 49ers in 2026?
My answer: The 49ers appearing in another NFC Championship qualifies as a successful season in my eyes.
Making the playoffs is a low bar when talking about the current iteration of this team. It took a season like 2024, when the team completely bottomed out, for the 49ers to miss the playoffs.
Many pundits are penciling the Rams in to win the NFC West. It’ll only get worse if Aaron Donald comes out of retirement. But it’s not as much of a shoo-in as it seems. The head-to-head may not work out in the Niners’ favor because of Week 1, but Kyle Shanahan has always found a way to stay competitive, if not have the upper hand, against Sean McVay.
Winning is hard. Winning a playoff game is even more difficult. The 2025 49ers accomplished that feat. Most of us can agree that they overachieved, all things considered.
I’m acting as if the 49ers won’t earn the No. 1 seed and get a bye. Therefore, they’d need to win at least two games to make it to the NFC Championship. Realistically, they’d win a home game and a game on the road. That’s a successful season. And if they end up winning a third, it’d be the third chance for this team to win a Super Bowl — inevitably, against you know who.
Of course the team wants to not only make but win a Super Bowl. That’s the goal every year. Attainable? It is. Far-fetched? Hardly. Conquering the NFC and beating three teams that will more than likely be three of the top teams in the NFL is the definition of a successful season. You’ve then put yourself in a position to win a Super Bowl.
What does a successful season for the 49ers look like to you? You can share your comments in The Feed, the comment section below, or both.
