placeholder image

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports


Moving on from DeForest Buckner allowed 49ers to move forward, says John Lynch

Apr 28, 2020 at 12:06 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed comfortable surpluses in salary-cap space in previous years. That wasn't the case this offseason. As the contracts of some of their younger stars started to mature, the cap space slowly shrunk.

Many assumed that the signing of defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a long-term deal in March forced the 49ers to move on from DeForest Buckner. It may have been the opposite, though. The decision to move on from Buckner seems to have been made early on, sometime after the Super Bowl.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in March that the 49ers' decision to begin shopping Buckner had been "quietly in the works" since around the Super Bowl.


General manager John Lynch confirmed during a KNBR interview on Tuesday that San Francisco had indeed been working to deal Buckner for some time before the trade was finalized, and it was that move that allowed the team to move forward and try to improve.

"DeForest was as good a person as we had in our locker room," Lynch said on the Murph and Mac show. "Also, a tremendous player. But we realized that we weren't going to be able to keep DeForest and do all the other things we wanted to do in terms of keeping our team together.

"We gave his agent permission to go out and (said), 'Hey, if you can go get him what you think he deserves elsewhere, have at it, but you better bring back a really good pick.' And not only did he do that, he brought back the 13th pick in the draft. And so we had to make a tough decision."

Lynch later reiterated similar words during an interview with Andrew Siciliano on NFL Network. The general manager added that the 49ers gave Buckner's agent permission to seek a trade and new contract right after the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

"The last thing we wanted to do in letting DeForest Buckner go, all of a sudden became a reality," Lynch told Siciliano. "And we felt it was a way, as you start to put the puzzle together, we can re-sign Armstead, we can re-sign Jimmie Ward, we can re-sign Ben Garland. We can start to make some of those decisions to keep our team intact, knowing that we would have a big void [following the loss of] DeForest Buckner."

The 49ers filled that void via the draft, selecting defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw with the No. 14 overall pick and hoping that move is enough to maintain the level of productivity from the defensive line that the team benefited from last season.

As for the KNBR interview with Lynch, you can listen to the entire conversation below.




Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers actively negotiating with Brandon Aiyuk, not discussing trades, says John Lynch

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

General manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, emphasizing the San Francisco 49ers' active pursuit of a contract extension for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. There has been significant speculation surrounding Aiyuk's status this offseason. The receiver is slated to play on his fifth-year option, which guarantees him $14.124 million in 2024. While the team would be content with Aiyuk playing on that fifth-year option, it would prefer to secure the star receiver to a long-term deal before he returns to the field. RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk reacts to John Lynch's latest contract negotiation


placeholder image

49ers GM John Lynch attends Michigan Pro Day

By David Bonilla
Mar 22

As expected, Michigan's Pro Day has a significant NFL presence. The event features 18 draft-eligible players from the national champion's roster. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy reports that San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is among those in attendance. Lynch is one of nine general managers on hand to evaluate the draft hopefuls. PRO-DAY UPDATE: Only fitting that national champs @UMichFootball, with record 18 Combine invitees, have biggest NFL turnout for pro-day.Here's list of NFL attendees who'll


placeholder image

John Lynch explains 49ers' draft penalty

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

A week ago, the NFL penalized the San Francisco 49ers for payroll accounting errors. As punishment, the team forfeited a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and had its fourth-round pick in next month's draft moved to the end of the round. On Monday, general manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings and explained the punishment more thoroughly. "I have a difference of opinion on the severity of the discipline. We take accountability for what happened," Lynch said. He revealed that the 49ers overpaid an unspecified player $75,000 during the COVID era, labeling the mistake as a "clerical error" after implementing a new system. "We own


placeholder image

John Lynch explains 49ers' free-agency moves

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch addressed reporters on Monday at the NFL owners meetings, shedding light on the team's recent free-agency moves. The most notable move was signing pass rusher Leonard Floyd to a two-year contract. The 49ers also secured defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos on a two-year deal. Lynch explained the rationale behind opting for multi-year contracts, highlighting the desire for stability on the defensive line. "We did some two-year deals on the D-line, so we don't have to do this every year. It gets hard," Lynch remarked with a smile. Lynch delved into the specifics of each signing, starting with Floyd, emphasizing the player's consistency and high level of competitiveness. DE Leonard


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone