During the 2023 season, the San Francisco 49ers were among the healthiest teams in the NFL, ranking as the league’s 29th-most injured team. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings being the only player to miss four games because of a major injury. That season, Kyle Shanahan’s squad reached the Super Bowl. However, if you look at the broader picture of Shanahan’s tenure, it’s fair to say the 49ers have consistently dealt with one of the league’s most injury-plagued rosters.

The reasons could vary. Heavy workload and previous medical concerns are to name a few. But over the past few months, it’s been reported that an electrical substation near the team’s training facility at Levi’s Stadium is the major reason behind the recurring injuries. When general manager John Lynch was asked about it, he ruled out that theory and said: “It basically was a big nothing burger.”

Still, many in the league believe that the electrical substation is causing those injuries, including current and former 49ers players. Former Niners’ safety Donte Whitner recently chimed in on the matter and admitted that the team should now focus on why these injuries are happening in the first place rather than focusing on the substation.

“You have to stop calling it bad luck,” Whitner said. “Pearsall, Kittle, Kirk, Kaelon Black, Guerendo, Mustapha, and several more. Some injuries are random. Football is a violent sport, but when the same problem shows up every year, it becomes a pattern. So the real questions here are: Are they drafting and signing too many players with medical concerns? Are rehabilitation and return of play decisions being rushed? And yes, the organization says the substation proximity was independently tested, but here’s the problem. The injuries are still piling up.

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“So maybe the testing cleared the substation concern, but did it not explain the organizational pattern? At some point, you have to stop asking whether the substation caused every injury and start asking why does team keep living the same injury story every single year? One bad injury season is unfortunate. Repeated injury seasons become an organizational pattern. And patterns deserve an independent investigation.”

Last season, the 49ers surely qualified for the playoffs, but still faced multiple injuries on the roster. Brock Purdy (toe), George Kittle (hamstring and Achilles tendon), Nick Bosa (torn ACL), Fred Warner (ankle), Jennings (broken ribs), Bryce Huff (hamstring), Ricky Pearsall (knee), and Trent Williams with a hamstring injury missed time during the season.

But just like Whitner said, one season can be unfortunate. For the 49ers, however, these injuries have been a recurring issue. During the 2024 season, they were the No. 1 most injured team when Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games, Brandon Aiyuk suffered a gruesome injury during the 2024 season and has not taken a snap since, while Williams, Mitch Wishnowsky, and Jordan Mason facing injury issues as well.

In 2022, the 49ers dealt with relatively fewer injuries. Even then, wide receiver Jordan Matthews and quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo all suffered significant injuries. Go back a few more seasons, and the pattern becomes hard to ignore. Whether it’s because of the nearby electrical substation or some other factor, injuries have continued to pile up in San Francisco.

Kyle Shanahan and Co. are now heading into the 2026 season. But they’ve already received a major setback during training camp. The Niners brought wide receiver Mike Evans earlier this offseason, but the veteran has recently suffered a quad injury at camp. With the Los Angeles Rams and reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks, the competition in the NFC West is already tough. The injuries are just making things worse for the organization.