The 2017 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 68th in the National Football League (NFL), their 72nd overall, their fourth playing their home games at Levi's Stadium and their first under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. This season began with the team's fourth head coach in as many seasons.
After an 0–9 start, they had a late season charge and won 6 of their last 7 games to finish the season 6–10, improving from their last two season records. Despite this, the 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12.
The 49ers season largely turned around after they acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots on October 30, 2017. At this point, the 49ers had a record of 0–8, dead last in the NFC. Garoppolo made his first start during Week 13 against the Chicago Bears and led them to a 15–14 win. Garoppolo won the final five games of the season for the 49ers, bringing the regular-season record to 6–10, the most wins by the team since the 2014 season. During the 5-game win streak, the 49ers won 3 straight games over teams that eventually made the playoffs (Weeks 15–17 against the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams). From Weeks 1–12, the 49ers scored just 187 points (17 points per game), which was in the bottom half of the league. During the 5-game win streak, the 49ers offense scored 144 points (28.8 points per game). The highlight of the year was during Week 16, the 49ers scored 44 points against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the NFL's top scoring defense at the time, allowing just 14.9 points per game. The 49ers finished the season by being the only team in the NFL to go undefeated in the month of December. The 49ers also became the first team in NFL history to start a season 0–9 and finish with more than three wins.
Offseason
Coaching changes Owner Jed York announced that he would hire a new general manager and the new head coach due to a bad season. On January 29, 2017, the 49ers hired John Lynch as their general manager. On February 6, 2017, the 49ers hired Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as the new coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Roster changes
Free agency The 49ers entered free agency with the following: Position Player Free agencytag Date signed 2017 Team Notes NT Glenn Dorsey UFA K Phil Dawson UFA March 10, 2017 Arizona Cardinals Agreed 2-year contract QB Blaine Gabbert UFA May 10, 2017 Arizona Cardinals Signed one-year contract ILB Michael Wilhoite UFA March 24, 2017 Seattle Seahawks Signed one-year contract DE Tony Jerod-Eddie UFA RB Shaun Draughn UFA March 22, 2017 New York Giants Signed one-year contract WR Jeremy Kerley UFA March 4, 2017 San Francisco 49ers Agreed 3-year contract ILB Nick Bellore UFA April 3, 2017 Detroit Lions Signed one-year contract WR Rod Streater UFA Buffalo Bills QB Christian Ponder UFA QB Thad Lewis UFA Baltimore Ravens TE Jim Dray UFA G Andrew Gardner UFA August 14, 2017 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract RB DuJuan Harris UFA March 28, 2017 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract DT Chris Jones RFA March 16, 2017 San Francisco 49ers Agreed one-year contract ILB Gerald Hodges UFA May 25, 2017 Buffalo Bills Signed one-year contract WR Quinton Patton UFA March 23, 2017 New York Jets Signed one-year contract ILB Carl Bradford RFA February 27, 2017 Buffalo Bills Declined one-year contract FS Marcus Cromartie RFA April 7, 2017 Buffalo Bills G Andrew Tiller RFA May 10, 2017 Kansas City Chiefs CB Chris Davis RFA WR Chris Harper ERFA May 30, 2017 New York Jets SS Marcus Ball ERFA May 25, 2017 Toronto Argonauts DE Zach Moore ERFA Carolina Panthers ILB Shayne Skov ERFA August 17, 2017 San Francisco 49ers Signed one-year contract TE Je'Ron Hamm ERFA NT Mike Purcell RFA February 27, 2017 Los Angeles Rams Declined one-year contract CB JaCorey Shepherd ERFA August 5, 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent LEGEND Light green background indicates a player has been re-signed by the 49ers. Light red background indicates a player has departed the 49ers.
Signings Position Player 2016 Team Date signed Notes CB K'Waun Williams February 21, 2017 Signed 1-year WR DeAndre Carter New England Patriots February 24, 2017 Signed 2-year DT Earl Mitchell Miami Dolphins February 24, 2017 Signed 4-year WR Pierre Garçon Washington Redskins March 9, 2017 Signed 5-year WR Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills March 9, 2017 Signed 2-year K Robbie Gould New York Giants March 9, 2017 Signed 2-year QB Brian Hoyer Chicago Bears March 9, 2017 Signed 2-year FB Kyle Juszczyk Baltimore Ravens March 9, 2017 Signed 4-year TE Logan Paulsen Chicago Bears March 9, 2017 Signed 1-year LB Malcolm Smith Oakland Raiders March 9, 2017 Signed 5-year QB Matt Barkley Chicago Bears March 10, 2017 Signed 2-year LB Brock Coyle Seattle Seahawks March 10, 2017 Signed 1-year WR Aldrick Robinson Atlanta Falcons March 10, 2017 Signed 2-year S Don Jones Houston Texans March 10, 2017 Signed 2-year LB Dekoda Watson Denver Broncos March 17, 2017 Signed 3-year RB Tim Hightower New Orleans Saints April 4, 2017 Signed 1-year OT Garry Gilliam Seattle Seahawks April 18, 2017 Signed 1-year C Tim Barnes Los Angeles Rams May 2, 2017 Signed 1-year G Brandon Fusco Minnesota Vikings May 2, 2017 Signed 1-year CB Will Davis Baltimore Ravens June 1, 2017 Signed 1-year LB Elvis Dumervil Baltimore Ravens June 5, 2017 OT Andrew Lauderdale June 9, 2017 Signed 2-year WR Tim Patrick July 31, 2017 Claimed off waiver WR Louis Murphy Tampa Bay Buccaneers July 31, 2017 Signed 1-year CB Asa Jackson Detroit Lions August 8, 2017 LB Sean Porter Jacksonville Jaguars August 9, 2017 DE Leger Douzable Buffalo Bills August 14, 2017 Signed 1-year contract DT Sen'Derrick Marks Miami Dolphins August 23, 2017 Signed 1-year contract LB Mark Nzeocha Dallas Cowboys September 25, 2017 Signed 1-year contract Indicates that the player was a free agent at the end of his respective team's season.
Departures Position Player Date Notes WR Torrey Smith March 7, 2017 Released S Antoine Bethea March 7, 2017 Released C Marcus Martin March 8, 2017 Waived C Alex Balducci May 2, 2017 Released S Marcus Ball Released LB Carl Bradford Released LB Jayson DiManche Released TE Je'Ron Hamm Released WR Chris Harper Released LB Wynton McManis Released P Brock Miller Released DE Zach Moore Released NT Mike Purcell Released WR Eric Rogers Released CB JaCorey Shepherd Released LB Shayne Skov Released RB Mike Davis May 5, 2017 Waived RB DuJuan Harris May 8, 2017 Released WR Rashad Ross June 1, 2017 Waived WR Bruce Ellington August 3, 2017 Waived C Jeremy Zuttah August 9, 2017 Released LB Ahmad Brooks August 25, 2017 Released LB Sean Porter August 29, 2017 Released QB Matt Barkley September 1, 2017 Released C Tim Barnes Released CB Will Davis Released DE Leger Douzable Released G Andrew Gardner Released RB Tim Hightower Released WR Louis Murphy Released RB Kapri Bibbs Waived OT Andrew Lauderdale Waived WR Tim Patrick Waived G Norman Price Waived K Nick Rose Waived ILB Shayne Skov Waived S Vinnie Sunseri Waived CB Keith Reaser September 16, 2017 Waived LB NaVorro Bowman October 13, 2017 Released
Draft
2017 San Francisco 49ers Draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes1 2Traded to the Bears 3 Solomon Thomas Defensive end Stanford From Bears 31 Reuben Foster Linebacker Alabama From Seahawks 2 34Traded to the Seahawks3 66 Ahkello Witherspoon Cornerback Colorado 67Traded to the Saints From Bears 104 C. J. Beathard Quarterback Iowa From VikingsCompensatory pick4 109Traded to the Vikings 111Traded to the Seahawks From Bears 121 Joe Williams Running back Utah From Colts 143Traded to the Colts Compensatory pick5 146 George Kittle Tight end Iowa 161Traded to the Colts From Redskins 177 Trent Taylor Wide receiver Louisiana Tech From BroncosCompensatory pick6 186Traded to the Ravens 198 D.J. Jones Defensive tackle Ole Miss From Ravens 202 Pita Taumoepenu Defensive end Utah From Broncos7 219Traded to the Vikings From Browns 220Traded to the Redskins 229 Adrian Colbert Cornerback Miami (FL) From Saints Notes The 49ers acquired an additional sixth-round selection as part of a trade that sent their 2016 seventh-round selection and Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos. The 49ers acquired an additional seventh-round selection as part of a trade that sent Andy Lee to the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers traded their sixth-round selection (Nos. 186 overall) to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for their sixth-round selection (Nos. 198 overall) and C Jeremy Zuttah. The 49ers acquired an additional fifth-round selection as part of a trade that sent their Derek Carrier to the Washington Redskins in 2015, but sent a seventh-round selection back due to Carrier's performance. The 49ers traded their first-round selection (Nos. 2 overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for their third- and fourth-round selection (Nos. 67 and 111 overall) and 2018 third-round selections. The 49ers traded their second- and fourth-round selection (Nos. 34 and 111 overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for their first-round selection (Nos. 31 overall). The 49ers traded their third-round selection (Nos. 67 overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for their seventh-round selection (Nos. 229 overall) and 2018 second-round selections. The 49ers traded their fourth- and seventh-round selection (Nos. 109 and 219 overall) to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for their third-round selection (Nos. 104 overall). The 49ers traded their 2018 fourth-round selections to the Denver Broncos in exchange for their fifth-round selections (Nos. 177 overall) and RB Kapri Bibbs. The 49ers traded their fourth- and fifth-round selection (Nos. 143 and 161 overall) to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for their fourth-round selection (Nos. 121 overall).
Undrafted free agents Position Player College Notes WR Victor Bolden Oregon State WR Kendrick Bourne Eastern Washington RB Matt Breida Georgia Southern WR K. D. Cannon Baylor Released May 8 OL John Flynn Montana State CB Zach Franklin Washburn Waived August 8 DL Jimmie Gilbert Colorado Waived with injury, July 31. Now on Injured Reserve S Malik Golden Penn State Waived June 9 OL Evan Goodman Arizona State TE Cole Hikutini Louisville DB Lorenzo Jerome Saint Francis (PA) OL Erik Magnuson Michigan FB Tyler McCloskey Houston Waived September 1 QB Nick Mullens Southern Miss LB Donavin Newsom Missouri Waived with injury, Aug 16. Now on Injured Reserve DL Noble Nwachukwu West Virginia OL Bret Treadway Lamar Released May 8 OL Darrell Williams Jr. Western Kentucky S Chanceller James Boise State Waived August 14 WR BJ Johnson III Georgia Southern Waived with injury, July 31. Now on Injured Reserve OL Richard Levy UConn Waived August 13
Staff
Final roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Kansas City Chiefs W 27–17 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 2 Denver Broncos L 14–33 1–1 Levi's Stadium Recap 3 August 27 at Minnesota Vikings L 31–32 1–2 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap 4 Los Angeles Chargers W 23–13 2–2 Levi's Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule