There are bad offseasons. There are even dysfunctional ones. Then there’s whatever the hell is happening to the San Francisco 49ers.

Ever since George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the NFL Wild Card playoffs things have been heading downhill for the 49ers. Their season ended a week later with the indignity of a 41-6 loss to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.

And yet somehow, that miserable ending now looks like a warning of the things that followed.

On Monday, the news broke that San Francisco’s principal owner Jed York had been arrested in an Ohio-based prostitution sting.

It was the cherry on top of a string of offseason crises and controversies surrounding San Francisco, prompting the question: is this the most tumultuous and turbulent offseason in NFL history?

The NFL has produced plenty of infamous offseasons. What makes this one remarkable is the sheer variety.

The 49ers aren’t just dealing with one controversy, they’re collecting them the way Thanos collected Infinity Stones.

So, let’s examine this very long list of controversies:

Jed York’s arrest turns embarrassment into crisis

Nothing else belongs at the top of this list.

Principal owner and CEO Jed York was arrested Sunday morning in Ohio after authorities said he arranged to pay $140 for sex while communicating with an online advertisement placed as part of a prostitution sting.

York initially faced charges of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools before pleading no contest Monday to a reduced disorderly conduct charge. He received one day in jail, credited for time served, and $1,150 in fines.

The 49ers said the legal matter had been resolved and declined further comment. The NFL said it is aware of the situation and will review it under its personal conduct policy.

For most franchises, an owner’s arrest would consume an offseason.

For the 49ers, it merely became Monday’s addition to the pile.

Kyle Shanahan’s frightening car crash

Before York’s arrest, Kyle Shanahan had already supplied the offseason’s most frightening story.

The 49ers coach was involved in a head-on collision in Palo Alto on July 14 that left him with broken ribs, a broken nose, broken hand, concussion and a facial wound requiring 40 stitches that nearly cost him his right eye.

After a state database error incorrectly blamed the other driver, a 21-year-old woman, Shanahan later accepted responsibility, saying he dropped his phone inside his Tesla, looked down for roughly two seconds and collided with a Mercedes.

The violent crash could have been far worse, and after missing the start of training camp, Shanahan eventually returned to his normal coaching duties.

But the offseason never returned to normal.

The electrical substation conspiracy gets another chapter

A viral conspiracy theory has blamed an electrical substation near the 49ers’ Santa Clara training facility for the organization’s extraordinary injury history, alleging electromagnetic fields could be weakening players’ tendons and ligaments.

Scientists have strongly disputed the theory.

That should have killed it.

Instead, the 49ers have suffered so many significant injuries that general manager John Lynch acknowledged the organization would investigate essentially everything affecting player health, including the substation claims.

When your offseason includes your GM addressing whether the local electrical grid is destroying Achilles tendons, things have taken a strange turn.

Brandon Aiyuk burns the bridge behind him

Former San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk decided to take a blowtorch to his deteriorating relationship with the 49ers.

Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million extension in 2024 was supposed to end the drama. Instead, it became just the beginning.

After injuries, missed rehabilitation sessions, voided guarantees, disappearing communication and his placement on the reserve/left team list, Aiyuk spent this offseason publicly ripping the organization on a daily basis and pushing for an exit.

Eventually, Lynch acknowledged the obvious: Aiyuk had played his final snap as a 49er.

San Francisco responded by signing longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans.

The receivers start dropping, so Deebo Sameul comes home

Christian Kirk has battled a calf injury since July 26. Ricky Pearsall’s right knee injury landed him on injured reserve and ended his season before it began. De’Zhaun Stribling has dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues.

So the 49ers turned backward to move forward, bringing Deebo Samuel back on a one-year deal.

After all the roster construction and attempts to remake the receiving corps, San Francisco found itself calling one of Shanahan’s old security blankets because the depth chart was being devoured again.

Samuel knows the offense and gives Shanahan another versatile weapon.

More importantly, he was healthy enough to answer the phone.

McCaffrey and Bosa keep the anxiety alive

Christian McCaffrey missed nearly two weeks of practice with muscle tightness, creating speculation about both his health and contract.

McCaffrey dismissed the chatter after returning, describing his absence as planned load management designed to have him ready for the regular season.

Bosa has also dealt with tendinitis and soreness in his surgically repaired right knee while returning from the torn ACL that wrecked his 2025 season. San Francisco remains optimistic he’ll be ready for the Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.

For the 49ers, optimism might be the only healthy thing left.

The aforementioned list is just a handful of the offseason storylines surrounding San Francisco. Despite them all, the team still looks really good on paper and Shanahan remains one of the NFL’s brightest offensive minds.

The question isn’t whether the 49ers possess enough talent to reach the playoffs, it’s whether all of the chaos and controversies off the field derail everything come Sundays.

York’s arrest doesn’t change a blocking assignment. Shanahan’s car crash doesn’t change Purdy’s progressions. Internet theories don’t change red zone scoring percentages.

But distractions, injuries, and uncertainty all accumulate.

At some point, a football organization can spend so much time putting out fires that it becomes difficult to navigate the season through the smoke.

Maybe by January all this is forgotten. The stars get healthy and Shanahan guides them to another deep playoff run.

Or maybe the entire offseason has been a foreshadowing of what’s to come.