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49ers GM John Lynch among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019
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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is among the modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2019. He is one of five defensive backs on the 15-player list. The others are Steve Atwater, Champ Bailey, Ty Law, and Ed Reed.
The list of modern-era players will be trimmed down to 10 and then five by the voting committee on February 2 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lynch played free safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1993 until 2003 and then for the Denver Broncos from 2004 until 2007. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection over the course of his 15-year NFL career. During that time, Lynch registered 1,051 combined tackles, 26 interceptions, 13 sacks, and 16 forced fumbles,
according to ESPN.
Following his retirement as a player, Lynch entered the FOX broadcast booth as a color commentator for NFL games from 2008 through 2016. During that final year with FOX, he was inducted into both the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor.
The 49ers hired Lynch to be the team's general manager in January of 2017. He was among the 15 finalists eligible for last year's Hall of Fame class but did not make the cut to the final eight inductees.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made a case in November for Lynch to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"He was as physical a presence as there was in the league, at the time,"
Shanahan said. "I don't know how many people are in two Ring of Honors in two different stadiums.
"He's in there at Tampa Bay, which everyone knows he won a Super Bowl and played at a very high level on one of the best defenses of all time the year they won the Super Bowl. They were a top defense every other year he was there.
"Then he goes to Denver, and they get one game away from the Super Bowl. This is in the last, I want to say three or four years of his career where people thought he was done. All he did was go there and go to the Pro Bowl every single year he played. He got them to a 13-3 team where they lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Steelers and ended up finishing his career there in the Ring of Honor.
"To be that big of a deal in two different places, have the numbers to go with it, with the recognition of the Pro Bowls and the Super Bowl, I don't see why it's a hard decision, and I think it's just a matter of time for him."
Below is a list of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2019.
- Steve Atwater, safety – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets
- Champ Bailey, cornerback – 1999-2003 Washington Redskins, 2004-2013 Denver Broncos
- Tony Boselli, tackle – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Isaac Bruce, wide receiver – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers
- Don Coryell, coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
- Alan Faneca, guard – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals
- Tom Flores, coach – 1979-1987 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-94 Seattle Seahawks
- Tony Gonzalez, tight end – 1997-2008 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009-2013 Atlanta Falcons
- Steve Hutchinson, guard – 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings, 2012 Tennessee Titans
- Edgerrin James, running back – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks
- Ty Law, cornerback – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos
- John Lynch, safety – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos
- Kevin Mawae, center – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans
- Ed Reed, safety – 2002-2012 Baltimore Ravens, 2013 Houston Texans, 2013 New York Jets
- Richard Seymour, defensive lineman – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders
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