The San Francisco 49ers made the Super Bowl this past season but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in a devastating overtime loss.

Now, the 49ers are entering an offseason full of questions and potentially tough decisions.

According to Michael Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco is already having “many tough conversations” and that those decisions could involve “productive veterans.”

This does not come as too much of a surprise.

Even with the recent salary cap spike, the Niners are still $3.4 million over the salary cap, meaning they will have a difficult time improving their roster this offseason.

They may also have to end up trading key pieces to preserve future financial flexibility.

For example, the 49ers will have to determine whether or not they want to pay star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is entering the final year of his deal and does not seem to have much loyalty to the franchise based on his recent comments. So, a hometown discount is probably out of the equation.

Of course, San Francisco also has to worry about paying quarterback Brock Purdy, who just completed his first full season as the club’s starter.

The Niners are facing a problem that most contending teams face at some point. We saw the Chiefs trade superstar wide out Tyreek Hill a couple of years ago, and they may also have to trade cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in the coming weeks..

It’s time like these when you see how creative and resourceful a front office actually is, as this is when scouting, drafting and making shrewd trades and free-agent signings become paramount.

The 49ers have made the playoffs three years in a row and have at least made it to the NFC Championship Game on all three occasions.

But the franchise will obviously have to get pretty innovative to continue its success.

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