49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says the team's goal for next season is obvious, and that San Francisco will need to be even better than last season in order to achieve it. General manager John Lynch is of a similar mindset, and believes the 49ers have the pieces to get back to the Super Bowl.
"I think it's a state of a team that I think is very well-equipped to compete for championships," Lynch said during the 49ers State of the Franchise event. "Now, it's incumbent upon us to find a way to be better than we were last year, which was pretty darn good.
"We talk about it a lot, Kyle and I. It's a philosophy that we kind of bonded on when we first started having conversations. It's something Jon Gruden used to talk about. You never stay the same. You're either getting better or you're getting worse."
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As for which of those directions San Francisco is heading likely depends on how effectively the team was able to replace some outgoing standouts. Gone are DeForest Buckner, Emmanuel Sanders and Joe Staley. Enter Javon Kinlaw, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams.
[RELATED: 49ers legend Lott sees greatness in future of rookie Kinlaw]
"I'm very encouraged with where our franchise is," Lynch continued. "Our goal was to give ourselves a chance to be a better football team this year. I think we've done that. I think we have a chance to be a better football team, and that's tough when you talk about some of the losses that we've had.
"I'm very encouraged, and now we've just got to go do it. That's the great thing about this game. You can talk about it all you want, but you've got to walk the walk, and we're looking forward to having the opportunity to do that."
San Francisco 49ers
It will be awfully tough for the 49ers to be better than they were last season, but from the sounds of it, they're ready to take on the challenge.
[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]