49ers: Four Niners make NFL’s All-Decade Team roster

The San Francisco 49ers were well-represented on the NFL’s All-Decade Team roster with four prominent members of the franchise making the list.

The San Francisco 49ers experienced their fair share of ups and downs during the 2010s, but when all was set and done, some pretty exceptional players donned the red and gold during the decade.

And that notion was supported upon the release of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s. The roster was released on Monday with the help of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it featured a host of some of the greatest players to step foot on the gridiron over the past 10 years.

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Four of the 52 players who made the roster were or still are notable members of the 49ers.

San Francisco had two representatives on offense as both longtime running back Frank Gore and stalwart offensive tackle Joe Staley made the list. They were joined by a pair of defensive players in linebacker Patrick Willis and cornerback Richard Sherman.

Both Staley and Sherman are, of course, still members of the 49ers today. However, the latter is the only player on the list who likely didn’t make the roster because of his achievements in a 49ers uniform.

Instead, Sherman wreaked havoc for years as a part of the legendary Legion of Boom in Seattle before making his way to the Bay Area prior to the 2018 season.

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Meanwhile, Staley is the longest-tenured 49ers player on the list having played 181 games with the franchise over the past 13 years since 2007.

Gore is the oldest player on the roster as the ageless wonder will turn 37-years-old in May. And incredibly enough, after bouncing around the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills over the last two seasons, Gore still plans to play in 2020.

Finally, Willis is the only retired player on the roster having notoriously hung up the cleats following the 2014 season at just 30-years-old at the time.

Despite his relatively short playing career, Willis made quite the impression being named first-team All-Pro five times and earning seven Pro Bowl nods in just eight total NFL seasons.

All four were incredibly deserving of the honor, but it’s a little surprising not to see others on the list. Players like NaVorro Bowman and Justin Smith surely could have made a case for themselves.

Especially in Bowman’s case, the inclusion of players like Khalil Mack, Chandler Jones, and Von Miller as “linebackers” likely hurt his chances.

Perhaps the biggest snub was fullback Kyle Juszczyk who expressed his displeasure over the exclusion of fullbacks from the roster. If the NFL were to have chosen a fullback, the odds are that it would have the four-time Pro Bowler.

The real question now becomes, which members of the current 49ers roster might make it on the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2020s?

Could Nick Bosa make a case over the coming years? How about someone like Fred Warner or even Deebo Samuel? At this rate, tight end George Kittle seems to be a lock.

Only time will tell, but it’s clear that the current generation of 49ers stars has a lot to live up to.