The San Francisco 49ers have filled their general manager position, with former safety and FOX analyst John Lynch. The news was first reported by FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, with the 49ers later announcing the hire.
John Lynch surprisingly hired as 49ers general manager
Nobody saw this one coming.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
According to Glazer, the 49ers were trying to operate in a similar fashion to that of the Broncos and John Elway. Lynch apparently met with Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who accepted the head coaching job, this week. Shanahan can’t be officially hired until after the Super Bowl.
The deal isn’t a short one, either:
The 49ers will be hiring Lynch as Trent Baalke’s replacement after a tenure which saw the team go from Super Bowl contenders under Jim Harbaugh to hoping for a win in 2016 under Chip Kelly. Baalke was fired along with head coach Chip Kelly just before the team’s season finale against the Seahawks.
In the process of looking for a general manager, the team had interviewed George Paton and Terry McDonough. The nine-time Pro Bowler has no front office experience, and will now be tasked with turning around a 49ers franchise that’s in full rebuild mode. A connection between the 49ers and Lynch could be found with Shanahan, as Lynch played for his father Mike in Denver.
Lynch notably played in the NFL from 1993-2008 as a strong safety, with stints on the Bucs, Broncos, and ever so briefly with the Patriots before being released prior to the 2008 season.
On top of his new job, Lynch could find out if he’s elected to the Hall of Fame this weekend. He’s a finalist for the 2017 class, which will be announced Saturday night at the NFL Honors show.
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