It was a bit of a shock when general manager John Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday that the reports of the San Francisco 49ers being among the teams that pushed to add All-Pro safety Jamal Adams were false.
"Totally inaccurate," Lynch said via Matt Maiocco. "We did not ever make a call about the player."
And there you go.
Lynch says his team never actually reached out to the Jets about Adams, who was eventually traded to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks for a haul that included two first-round picks. That doesn't, however, mean San Francisco was uninterested in one of the best defenders in the game. The team just knew it couldn't afford Adams.
"I try to be truthful," Lynch said during a Tuesday-morning KNBR interview on the Murph and Mac show. "We're talking about (George) Kittle. We're trying to save room for him. We've got a plan here. Jamal Adams is a tremendous player, and number one, we feel really good about our guys — Jimmie Ward, who we re-signed this offseason, [and] Jaquiski Tartt.
"With Jamal Adams, you saw all the trade capital that they had to give up, which the Seahawks, good for them. They made that decision. You've also got to pay the man. That's one of the reasons he's not in New York.
"Being up there against it with what's happening in the (salary) cap due to the pandemic, it just wasn't a reality for us. Yes, our division is getting better. We understand that. That's why we're working so hard to get better. I'm really proud of our offseason."
Added Lynch: "Were we interested? Of course you would be interested in a player like that. Is it a reality? No."
Lynch discussed the team's leading rusher from last season, Raheem Mostert, requesting a reworked deal, and then a trade when negotiations faltered.
San Francisco, Mostert, and his agent, Brett Tessler, on Monday agreed on the running back's compensation. With incentives and bonuses, Mostert could earn twice what he was initially due in 2020.
Lynch was asked about his reaction upon hearing the trade request.
"My reaction was, 'What the heck are you doing? Come on, now,'" Lynch responded. "I was not happy. Now, I love Raheem, and I love his family. Raheem, you guys have had the opportunity to talk to him, and if you get to know him, he's really one of the good people in our league, not just on our team.
"It's sometimes frustrating during these (negotiations), but I was a player once, so you understand it. You don't talk directly with the player. You're talking through an agent, and sometimes, I think, because of that, there can be things lost in communication."
Lynch and the 49ers always planned to reward Mostert for his breakout performance last season and contributions in the team's impressive playoff run. The general manager also stressed that there is no "bad blood" between Mostert and the 49ers.
"What we ultimately did, we always planned on doing," Lynch continued. "It's frustrating what did transpire, but cooler heads had to prevail, and we had to understand Raheem's a very important player to our team. And the way that he came on last year was a huge reason as to why we were in the Super Bowl and our team's success.
"We believe in rewarding our players that play well, that do well, and that's something that we wanted to do. We had some ideas on how we could do it. Unfortunately, that became public, but we weren't going to let that change our course. The good news is he's all taken care of, he's happy, and we're looking forward to seeing him here soon."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.