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General manager John Lynch is in Arizona with his San Francisco 49ers. That will be home for the foreseeable future after Santa Clara County introduced new restrictions prohibiting contact sports.
The 49ers admitted over the weekend that they felt blindsided by the news as they scrambled to figure out how to continue their season. On Saturday, the team was traveling for its game in Los Angeles when it learned via social media and text messages from family and friends about the restrictions.
Let's just say the 49ers didn't appreciate finding out that way, and head coach Kyle Shanahan let that be known after Sunday's game.
"I was just very disappointed (in the county) and very proud of our guys,"
Shanahan said, "that I couldn't give them the answers, and they could put it to the side and come out and play like that."
Santa Clara County executive
Dr. Jeff Smith fired back at Shanahan and the 49ers this week, questioning why the team felt blindsided by the news. He even questioned the 49ers' values, indicating that sports teams probably shouldn't play until it is completely safe to do so.
Said Smith: "One might envision a reemergence of team-building if the teams spent their time building a COVID relief fund for the community rather than trying to put the community at more risk."
On Thursday, Shanahan was asked about Smith's comments.
"I'm not (interested in reacting to) someone who questions our values who doesn't know us," the coach responded. "It shows what we're dealing with."
What did Lynch think of the whole situation? On Thursday, he joined KNBR and was asked if the 49ers were caught off guard by Santa Clara County's notice.
"Oh yeah. Absolutely we were," Lynch responded on the
Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show. "Look, there's been a lot of back and forth. I don't know how much good that does anyone. The truth of the matter, we've had a very productive and good relationship with our county in our preparations for this season, which is different from any other. I'm actually grateful to them.
"The NFL has very intense protocols. Ours are even tougher than that because Santa Clara, I think, is as tough as it gets."
Lynch feels the reaction from Shanahan and his players was brought on by raw emotion, and the 49ers encourage everyone to speak his or her mind. So, of course, everyone did.
"You understand, it's a big county, and there's a pandemic, and people's lives are at stake," Lynch continued. "We get that. I just would tell you, I've been incredibly proud with the job we've done with the virus. Our testing protocols and such are as stringent as anybody throughout the country, and our guys have responded incredibly well.
"It did catch us off guard. Our guys managed to focus, get a big win, and then there was a lot of planning to do."
Lynch said that knowing that Santa Clara County had stringent restrictions already in place, more so than most places, the 49ers had already started working with the NFL to form contingency plans had the situation changed, preventing the team from playing at Levi's Stadium.
"That was more really [restrictions on playing] games," Lynch added. "I don't think we ever thought we'd have to leave to practice. So, that was probably the biggest surprise and the order that came down. Nothing had been said about that. We'd been talking (with the county) about a number of other things, in constant communication, so that's probably what threw us for a loop more than anything."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Rumors have swirled regarding the situation between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is entering his fifth NFL season and is slated to earn $14.124 million on a team-executed fifth-year option. Despite the 49ers publicly declaring a desire to sign Aiyuk to a contract extension, keeping him on the roster for the foreseeable future, many rumors have focused on potential trade interest.
On Monday, general manager John Lynch held his annual pre-draft press conference, addressing the Aiyuk situation without revealing any information on the conversations that have taken place behind closed doors. Once again, he emphasized that the 49ers want Aiyuk to remain with the team for the remainder of his career.
When asked if there was a chance Aiyuk
The decision to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft and select quarterback Trey Lance could have had significant consequences for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. With the team lacking first-round picks in the last two drafts due to this move, and Lance no longer on the roster after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys before last season, it's clear the gamble didn't unfold as expected.
Lynch held his annual pre-draft press conference on Monday, reflecting on the decision to take such a big chance on Lance. While such a bold move might have jeopardized jobs elsewhere, Lynch and Shanahan were blessed with some good fortune in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Acknowledging the support of the team's ownership, Lynch stated, "They believe in Kyle and I, and our
As customary, NFL teams engage in preliminary discussions about potential draft trades during owner meetings. The San Francisco 49ers currently hold the No. 31 spot in the first round but appear receptive to moving either up or down. The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night.
General manager John Lynch addressed reporters on Monday and acknowledged the wide range of possibilities. However, he noted that any potential discussions about trading spots with other teams will likely intensify later in the week.
"It's going to be an interesting year," Lynch stated. "I think it's an interesting draft class. I was just looking at my notes and one interesting thing to me, dynamic, and the way of the world right now, we put a grade on players in the fall if we think
