Star quarterback to washed-up backup. Impenetrable defense to slumping line. Throne to hot seat. Top to rock bottom. 

As the San Francisco 49ers entered the offseason, they looked to ship what is the last remnant of a once formidable dynasty — quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With the April 1 deadline approaching and a looming $11.9 million dollars in guaranteed money set to kick in, the 49ers are doing all they can to purge themselves of the pure disaster that has taken place since their loss in Super Bowl XLVII. 

At the time, the 49ers were at the peak of their new regime. Coach Jim Harbaugh had elevated the team out of the deep abyss, from the joke of the league to one of the most respected and formidable defenses in the NFL.

 In his first year as coach, Harbaugh led the team to a surprising 13-3 record and the first playoff appearance since 2002. The defense, led by three All-Pro veterans and newly minted linebacker Aldon Smith, had been transformed, ranking second-best in points allowed per game. 

Their success only grew the next season, with an electric and young quarterback in Kaepernick at the helm. In 2012, the 49ers cruised to the playoffs with an 11-4-1 record, upsetting the favorite Green Bay Packers. Kaeprnick reached the pinnacle of his running game, rushing for a record 181 yards.

Finally, after years of agony and failure, the Niners reached America’s most anticipated game of the year — the Super Bowl. 

In a nail-biting contest between a veteran-led Baltimore Ravens’ defense, the Niners crumbled after what seemed to be a final comeback. 

The defeat, although not seemingly debilitating at the time, lingered with the organization over the ensuing seasons, plaguing them with a string of losses. 

After that season, the Niners seemed to fall flat, never again reaching the coveted Super Bowl. 

The 2013 season held promise, with the Niners advancing all the way to the conference championships, only to have their division rival Seattle Seahawks dethrone them in crushing fashion. 

In 2014, the team held a potential playoff spot but was knocked out by a late-season collapse. The Niners lost four of their last five games to finish with a measly 8-8 record. Upper management had enough, and after four seasons, Harbaugh was a Niner no longer. 

Smith, a once rising star with nearly unlimited potential, served a nine-game suspension that same season, adding to the implosion of the once great defense. The 49ers had no choice but to hack away at the cancerous cells that were debilitating their team, and with that, Smith was released. 

After two years of misery, the conclusion of the 2015 season brought an end to the era of greatness and only new pangs of disappointment. The Niners in a quizzical, head-turning move hired Jim Tomsula, interim coach of the 2010 49ers’ team.  Justin Smith, an All-Pro defensive end, retired after a 14-year career. Kaepernick was benched in place for quarterback bust Blaine Gabbert. The Niners fell back into the deep abyss, warranting a near league-worst 29th ranked defense. Since then, Tomsula has been fired and replaced by ex-Eagles coach Chip Kelly. 

Questions still linger as to what caused the Niner’s incredible demise. Could it have been reliance on a frenetic, run-reliant quarterback? A system run by a controversial and excitable head coach? These questions may take time to be answered, but one thing is certain: The collapse of the 49ers has been the most unpredictable and most franchise- shattering in recent league history.