David D’Annibale, Contributing Writer |
The 2019-2020 NFL season has come to an end, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV. After 54 seasons the AFC and NFC are now tied with 27 Super Bowl wins each. The NFL is entering its fifty-fifth season and the Chiefs will look to continue their success by winning back to back Super Bowls. The 49ers will be looking for redemption after failing to win the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs open the 2020-2021 season with the best odds to win Super Bowl LV. Kansas City trailed in all three postseason games and won all three, including their Super Bowl victory. The Chiefs snapped a 50-year drought and could now be on the verge of starting their own dynasty, with Super bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes,under contract for the next two seasons and future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid. However, Mahomes is hoping for a record-setting contract extension this off-season. The Chiefs enter the offseason with approximately $13,749,494 in cap space. Kansas City top offensive stars Tyreke Hill and Travis Kelce are under contract for the upcoming season, but the Chiefs have 24 players who could hit the open market this off-season. Top free agents include star defensive lineman Chris Jones, cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland, linebacker Reggie Ragland, and offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski. Kansas City has limited cap space to work this offseason. Chris Jones will be a top priority for the Chiefs. Chris is a game changer on the defensive side of the ball and drastically improves the Chief’s defensive line. The Chiefs will have many crucial decisions to make this offseason.
The 49ers have now lost two straight Super Bowls. The first loss was against the surging Baltimore Ravens, who won by a final score of 34-31. San Francisco has not won a Super Bowl since the 1994 season when they beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26. Entering the 2020-2021 season, the 49ers are tied with the Ravens for the second-best odds to win Super Bowl LV at eight-to-one, according to vegasinsider.com. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has a lot to prove in the upcoming season after now being a part of two devastating Super Bowl losses that involved blowing the lead in the fourth quarter. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons when they led 28-3 against the Patriots. The Falcons lost 34-28 in overtime. The 49ers head into the offseason with about $18,084,819 to spend. As that number will most likely change, the 49ers will have tough decisions to make on impending free agents. The top three
priorities for the 49ers are currently defensive linemen Arik Armstead, safety Jimmie Ward and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders who was acquired from the Broncos at the trade deadline. The 49ers can only franchise tag one player. If general manager John Lynch is unable to negotiate a deal with Armstead, Lynch could possibly franchise tag him. It will be essential for the 49ers to keep the defense together if the team hopes to reach the Super Bowl once again. Regardless, the path to Super Bowl LV will not be easy for Kansas City or San Francisco.
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