Welcome back to another mailbag. This one comes after a strange loss to the Houston Texans. The 49ers are traveling to the East Coast again to face the New York Giants. I see the 49ers winning this one, but I’m not going to be surprised if some crazy shenanigans and injuries cost them the game. They really are doing far better than they should, given all the injuries. They have some new pieces in Keion White and Clelin Ferrell, so I’m interested in seeing how they do with less than a week on the roster, but I just want them to stay healthy.
As you know, I am scouring the feed to find your questions, and primarily take mailbag questions from my own feed post. More of you and less of me is what we want for these posts, so please post whatever is on your mind, and we’ll see if it makes the mailbag.
And now, onto your questions.
Where do we find your answers/discussion on these questions?
—ninerfan25
Check the family movie section at your local Blockbuster Video. I’ve hidden discussions within the flaps of Jumanji’s VHS box—the Robin Williams one.
Why is Brock’s return a mystery? Is Shanny lying to us? It sure feels like it. I’ve given up on hoping for his return, i don’t think its close, I think we are being lied to and hes out for the season or 2.
Ok, I’ll actually answer your question, ninerfan25, rather than be a smart aleck.
Brock’s return is a mystery for a variety of reasons. Shanahan isn’t necessarily lying to us, the fans; he’s more keeping things ambiguous to his competitors. You aren’t the only ones who watch his press conferences; his opponents watch as well.
Teams game plan for the 49ers, and the last thing Shanahan wants is to give opponents insight into those plans. Plus, keeping things up in the air (which they are) forces teams to prepare for two quarterbacks rather than one. The 49ers have to report injuries, but the extent to which they do depends. Shanahan doesn’t want to give his opponents any major cards or clues on what to go for should they want to play dirty or what the 49ers might do to adjust (ex., maybe Purdy won’t run to his left, so all rollouts are to the right while injured? Things like that).
We aren’t being lied to, and he’s definitely not out for two seasons. Shanahan said it was “basically” turf toe, but the actual injury is complicated. You can be good one day and the next day be on the shelf. Purdy should return this season, but the 49ers are being cautious. It was clear they rushed Purdy back the first time, not knowing what they had with Mac Jones. Now they are letting him take his time. Shanahan does not want to give anyone anything that could be used against the 49ers.
And he’s probably also giving his quarterback some privacy on the issue. He’s saying what he has to, but not broadcasting Purdy’s medical ailments to the world. I see no issue with how he’s approached the podium with it. How they’ve brought him back is a good debate (like the Jaguars game), but him just saying it’s a foot injury and that it’s like turf toe but complicated is fine because it is a pretty complex injury.
It’s not that he’s lying; he’s just telling us the extent of what he can—both for competitive and privacy reasons.
What are you feeling about the team right now? Are they lucky? A paper tiger? Was the Texans a one-off against a team designed to beat the niners? Anything else giving you joy or unease?
—Gaudior
I think it’s about what I expected this year from the play on the field. Now the circumstances—all the injuries—I didn’t predict. I think this has shown just how good a coach Kyle Shanahan is. He’s lost so much in 2025 and is still competing for first place in the NFC. You can call for Shanahan all you want, but I don’t know many coaches who dealt this hand that would have the output he has.
Are they lucky? Yes, but almost every successful NFL team gets lucky at some point. The luck is nothing on the level of the Seattle Seahawks, whom we’ve all seen ridiculous luck from, blown calls, to whatever going their way, but there’s still luck.
The best way I can describe it is that the 49ers are not a team to sleep on, no matter how many players they lose (again, culture and coaching). They are not a team you cross off as an easy win on the schedule. Are they a powerhouse? Absolutely not. What I like about this team is the development it’s giving the rookies and second-year players. Grinding out these filthy wins at the buzzer can do nothing but help the mental game of younger players and the locker-room culture.
So I’m feeling really good about what I see from this team right now and think it has a bright future. Even though it can be maddeningly frustrating on Sundays with all the brain farts it can have.
If we gave Wishnowsky Punterville, shouldn’t Pineiro have something after his lights-out performance so far?
We didn’t give Mitch Wishnowsky Punterville; Mitch Wishnowsky gave Punterville to us. Clearly, we couldn’t run it after his departure because that place is a ghost town.
By the way, thanks for the Pineiro gif looking at me. That was awesome.
Do you think Kyle will devise an actual game plan for the Giants, because Houston was atrocious?
—Shaun49
To quote Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” The 49ers did have a plan against Houston, but, well, you saw what happened. While we knew not having Bryce Huff would hurt, we didn’t see the extent of it until gameday because the 49ers’ defense was gassed during those long Texan drives. Whatever the plan they started the game with probably got thrown out the window at halftime, since they made a struggling Texans quarterback in C.J. Stroud, look like Patrick Mahomes.
We’ve seen masterful game plans from Shanahan; the Texans’ one just wasn’t good, partly because no one could have predicted how inept the 49ers’ pass rush was, and the team as a whole is running on fumes. They can only keep intensity like the Atlanta game for so long.
The Giants have their own injury issues. I do see the 49ers winning this game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they skid a second time.
Only against the 49ers…
Is hitting the QB in the head legal. Nothing else. Move along.
-natspos
Yes, that’s one way to look at it.
What type of Comp pick would we get for JJ [Jauan Jennings] Vs trade?
Could someone give me an idea of what type of comp pick we would get for JJ after this season? Considering he’s unlikely to re-sign with us, trying to weigh what type or return we could get this year via trade, vs what the comp pick would be?Feel like it would make sense to trade him for D line help or more picks sooner (unless Ricky P, BA are further off than we think)
—JFAR49er
The comp pick formula is more complicated than calculus, so I can’t really give a good answer. It depends on how much Jauan Jennings gets on the open market and how much the 49ers spend in free agency in 2026. I’d say we could probably expect a fourth-round pick. It’d also be a pick for the draft in 2027, I think.
So the 49ers can trade him for a fifth in 2026 (not sure a team will deal a 2027 anything for Jennings or anything better than a fifth) or they can let him walk and play the NFL comp formula game. There’s nothing certain with the latter. “Many thought they’d get a solid return when Jimmy Garoppolo went to the Raiders — but the formula said otherwise.
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