placeholder image

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports


Why John Lynch was fine sweetening the 49ers’ offer in draft trade to No. 3

May 10, 2021 at 6:12 AM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was at his daughter's school tennis match when his phone rang. The Miami Dolphins were still mulling over the trade offer he had presented on March 4 for the No. 3 overall pick. San Francisco was willing to surrender its first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to swap spots in 2021. It had been weeks since Lynch presented the offer. The Dolphins were very interested but needed a little more motivation.

"We weren't going to officially do the deal with that," Miami general manager Chris Grier told Peter King of NBC Sports, "because we knew the importance of that third pick."

The Dolphins wanted one more thing — a third-round pick in 2022.

Lynch had to think it over. San Francisco was already surrendering a lot of draft capital to move up nine spots from the No. 12 slot. The team would need to hold onto as many other picks as possible with no first-round selections over the next two years.

The 49ers eventually went through with the deal and selected quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall.

Why was Lynch willing to succumb to the pressure from Miami? Because he and head coach Kyle Shanahan saw that third-round selection as a bonus. The one they ended up including in the trade package was the compensatory pick the team was set to be awarded due to the departure of Robert Saleh to the New York Jets. It was a "total bonus," according to Shanahan.

"Lynch wasn't angry about the late ask for the third-rounder," King wrote in his latest Football Morning in America feature. "He'd done almost exactly the same thing in his first 49er draft in 2017, asking Chicago GM Ryan Pace for an extra third-round-pick to get a deal done for Chicago to move from three to two in the first round. Pace did it—and infamously picked Mitchell Trubisky. 'I love dealing with Chris,' Lynch said Saturday. 'He's not emotional about it, and his word is everything. Chris is a rock.'"

In the end, Shanahan got the prospect he had started falling in love with back in January. The move ended up costing a lot. Of course, that won't matter if Lance ends up performing at a high level for the foreseeable future.



Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


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

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

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

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