The San Francisco 49ers’ reign in the NFC and their ability to win a Super Bowl may be coming to an end, as per an ESPN analyst. On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s “First Take” raised the question, “Is the 49ers’ Super Bowl window closing?” Stephen A. Smith shared his take on the topic.

Smith said San Francisco has appeared in four conference title games in the last five years and appeared in two Super Bowls, yet still they haven’t been able to pull it off. The team is full of talent yet the ability to get the job done while their roster is still young is starting to close.

“You still got AJ Brown, Devonte Smith, Dallas got up there, and offensive line is considered one of the elite in football. I take all of those things into consideration. And I’m looking at the 49ers and saying about that window, I can’t consider it as wide open as it was last year,” Smith said

Stephen A. Smith also mentioned the San Francisco 49ers’ inability to extend wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk as an issue that could prevent success.

San Francisco 49ers to start season without LT Trent Williams

The situation surrounding wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and San Francisco may be looking up as he attended the final preseason game of the summer. While nothing has been agreed upon, perhaps the wide receiver is leaning toward staying in the Bay area.

However, his teammate, left tackle Trent Williams, continues to be a no-show, which could be consequential for the team’s success.

Williams didn’t attend minicamp or training camp as he awaited a reworked contract. The left tackle is set to make $20.05 million in 2024, but he is looking for a salary increase. Williams is set to make $22.5 million in 2025 and $32.2 million in 2026, but neither is guaranteed money.

The salary cap remains an issue for San Francisco heading into 2025, as the team is already $38 million over the cap without Aiyuk or Williams’ contract requests. Williams reportedly won’t report to the team nor play in the regular season until a deal is worked out.