San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in East Palestine, Ohio, over the weekend on misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools.
York pleaded no contest Monday and was sentenced to two days in Columbiana County Jail, along with $1,150 in fines.
Colin Cowherd Says 49ers Are ‘Hanging On by Peptides and a Prayer’
The arrest lands in the middle of an already turbulent offseason for the 49ers, one defined by an aging roster, a wave of major surgeries, a car accident involving head coach Kyle Shanahan, and rising skepticism about San Francisco’s odds of contending.
Fox Sports radio host Colin Cowherd used the moment to sound the alarm on “The Herd.” He compared the 49ers to the doomed duo from “Thelma & Louise.”
“I tend to think the Niners are very close to pulling a ‘Thelma & Louise’ and driving off the cliff, for a lot of reasons,” Cowherd said on “The Herd.” “I don’t think they’re a playoff team. I love the coach. I love [Christian] McCaffrey. I love the organization. I think they’re heading right for a cliff.”
His concern centers on age and injuries. San Francisco enters the 2026 season with plenty of older contributors, including several of their most important players. As if that wasn’t concerning enough, a number of these key pieces are coming off a major surgery.
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“This is an old, old team, oldest roster in the NFL, and almost all their old guys are coming off serious surgeries,” Cowherd said.
“They are really dependent on five older players: Trent Williams, left tackle, he’s 38. [George] Kittle, going to be a Hall of Famer, coming off surgery. Nick Bosa, coming off his second surgery. Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in touches. Mike Evans, who is often banged up, though I love him. And Fred Warner [is coming] off a surgery as well.”
Kittle is working his way back from Achilles surgery. Bosa is recovering from a second surgery on the same knee. McCaffrey led the league with 413 touches in 2025. Warner also had surgery this offseason, and Evans, who turned 33 last week after signing with San Francisco in free agency, missed time last season with multiple injuries (and he’s been sidelined throughout training camp with quad and groin injuries).
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San Francisco’s last two first-round picks aren’t helping matters either.
“Don’t forget their last two first-round picks: Ricky Pearsall, out for the year, injured. … Mykel Williams, who is a great young talent, he’s banged up and won’t be there for Week 1,” Cowherd added. “They are hanging on by peptides and a prayer.”
Pearsall is out for the season after knee surgery, and Williams has been called a long shot for the opener by Shanahan.
Then, there’s the division. Cowherd pointed to the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks as teams that have simply outdrafted San Francisco over the past three years, a gap reflected in PFSN’s Team Impact metric as they enter the 2026 season as the top two teams in the league with 93.2 and 92.6 ratings, respectively.
Meanwhile, the 49ers sit at ninth with an 80.9 rating after last year’s 12-5 finish. Last season, San Francisco boasted the NFL’s fourth-best offense but their defense ranked 20th, per PFN’s metrics.
“The Seahawks and the Rams have drafted so brilliantly over the last three years, very few misses. … Those are four games the Niners go in as an underdog,” Cowherd said.
With an aging roster, a ton of injuries, a stacked division, and recent off-field distractions, it’s easy to see why Cowherd is lowering expectations for San Francisco entering 2026.
