Kyle Juszczyk says the 49ers don’t need to win the offseason spotlight, even with the Seahawks as defending Super Bowl champions and the Rams driving NFL talk. He credits last season’s 13 wins despite adversity and points to improvements including additions of
Kyle Juszczyk is already comfortable with the idea that the 49ers could be the team people forget in the NFC West.
The full attention, he knows, belongs to Seattle and Los Angeles. The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Rams have dominated the offseason conversation. Juszczyk said he understands why that happens—and if it results in his team being overlooked, he’s fine with it.
“ We feel great about where our team is,” Juszczyk told NFL Media. “The fact that we won 13 games last season with all that we had to deal with. I think that’s easy to forget. And rightfully so. The Seahawks won a Super Bowl. the Rams had a great season. they had some great additions in the offseason. so I can understand why that is the case.”.
He didn’t stop at defending the 49ers’ place in the conversation. Juszczyk framed the team’s offseason confidence as a product of what the 2025 season proved—and what the roster has done since.
“But I think we feel great about where we’re at. I love our squad. I think that we have only improved. Guys are getting healthy. We added Mike Evans and Osa [Odighizuwa] on defense. which I think both of those guys are going to make such an impact. I think we’re sitting in a good spot,” Juszczyk said. “If people want to forget about us, that’s fantastic. That’s a good place to be sometimes.”.
The backdrop to Juszczyk’s message is clear when you look at where the 49ers stand in NFC West expectations entering 2026. In the odds, they’re listed as +305 long shots, behind the Rams (+100) and the defending champion Seahawks (+205). The math, then, doesn’t favor San Francisco—at least not on paper. Juszczyk, however, appears to like the sound of that kind of pressure.
The 49ers are heading into 2026 with a strong roster in Juszczyk’s view. but with the division market still looking toward Los Angeles and Seattle. San Francisco will need more than confidence. It will need to surprise some people—and. by Juszczyk’s own admission. it wouldn’t bother him if the rest of the league didn’t notice it coming.
Kyle Juszczyk San Francisco 49ers NFC West Seattle Seahawks Los Angeles Rams Mike Evans Osa Odighizuwa 2026 odds