It’s hard to find an NFL team that has had a worse summer than the San Francisco 49ers. And it just got worse.
The 49ers, an otherwise good team, have for the past couple of months been weaving and slipping bad news like a boxer trying to avoid a knockout punch.
Remember that head coach Kyle Shanahan in July got into a terrible head-on collision that he actually caused when he went looking for his cell phone in his car while relying on his Tesla’s autopilot feature to drive for him.
49ERS COACH KYLE SHANAHAN ADMITS HE CAUSED CAR CRASH AFTER TAKING EYES OFF ROAD TO FIND HIS PHONE
The ensuing head-on collision when his car drifted into an oncoming lane left Shanahan with broken bones, facial lacerations, a concussion and regrets.
And, amazingly, that was perhaps the least bit of football-related bad news the team got during training camp. Because …
Defensive end Nick Bosa, trying to get ready for the regular season after ACL surgery last season, hasn’t practiced in four weeks and is not ready to play.
Tight end George Kittle, trying to get ready for the season after surgery to repair a torn Achilles, hasn’t practiced during training camp either, despite constant reports he’s on the mend and ahead of schedule.
Then majority owner Jed York by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in Ohio. The arrest and York subsequently pleading no contest to lesser charges didn’t stop the story from going viral and putting York in the crosshairs of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.
Hey, um, did we mention that 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, required knee surgery the first week of August, effectively ending his 2026 season before it even began?
Breaking: None of this is good.
But it gets potentially worse.
On Sunday, Aaron Donald announced he is returning to the NFL to play for the Los Angeles Rams after being retired the past two years.
Donald saw what the Rams have done this offseason in loading up for a run at the Super Bowl and decided he wanted to join the fun and make life difficult for rivals like … the 49ers.
And although the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been out since 2024, Donald thinks he’s still going to be dang good at age 35.
During his comeback news conference Donald detailed his grueling preparation to return to the game. He said he ran full-speed on the treadmill and lifted weights to stay in top physical shape during his time away from the game.
And he explained that he worked with the trainer who had known him since high school to get an honest assessment of his current explosiveness compared to that of his youth.
“You ain’t missed a step,” Donald said his private trainer told him.
That’s great for the Rams. But not so much for the 49ers because they play the Rams twice in the NFC West, including in their season opener Sept. 10 in Australia.
More bad news? Of course.
Shanahan on Monday announced he doesn’t know who is going to start at left guard in that game to fill the assignment of blocking Donald.
“Don’t know yet,” Shanahan told reporters when asked for details.
The 49ers p
