The San Francisco 49ers have already stated that they believe Mike McGlinchey will probably be playing elsewhere in 2023. The right tackle officially becomes a free agent next Wednesday, with other teams able to begin contract negotiations with him on Monday.
"That stinks. But could he miss his market? Sure," general manager John Lynch said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "And then, would we be interested? Of course we would. But I don't see that happening. I see him being a coveted player."
McGlinchey expects things to move quickly. He is in Philadelphia right now but will return home to the Bay Area this weekend and wait by the phone to hear how things develop.
"We got a lot of intel coming off of the week at the Combine and all that stuff, what's going on and what we can expect to happen," McGlinchey said on KNBR's Papa & Lund show. "I think once Monday hits, I'll probably have a pretty quick deal and a pretty quick decision to make and, hopefully, be signed by the first day of free agency."
According to OverTheCap.com, the 49ers are about $6.4 million under the salary cap. With 20 players about to become unrestricted free agents, sacrifices will obviously be made. Tackles are tough to come by, so McGlinchey should be a highly-sought player.
Knowing the business, the offensive lineman saw what was coming.
"Obviously, it's something that was expected," McGlinchey said. "It's something that the writing was kind of on the wall a little bit, in that regard. John and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] both had conversations with me before I left the building about that, and it was something that we all kind of expected, but it's definitely a tough deal.
"We have a lot of great players in the 49ers organization, which is why we've been so good for the last five years, and it makes it really hard to afford everybody. And we have a Hall of Fame and probably one of the greatest to play the tackle position (Trent Williams) on our team already, and it's hard to imagine them paying top dollar for both."
"It's been as fun for me as it's been for everybody else. My family and I are forever grateful for the Faithful, the 49ers, the Yorks, John and Kyle and everybody there...If this is it, then I just want to say thank you to everyone."
- Mike McGlinchey w/ Papa & Lund
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 8, 2023
Lynch has expressed the importance of patience and discipline while dealing with roster building. Sometimes, tough decisions must be made. You just hope you've insulated yourself enough to overcome some veteran departures.
"You have to have the patience and vision to allow some of these guys to walk," Lynch said. "Get some comp picks as a result, play that game. It took Kyle and I a little while to figure that one out. But you've got to understand you can't just go full throttle, and you get some rewards if you have a little more discipline. It's never easy, but it is necessary."
The 49ers made McGlinchey the No. 9 overall pick in 2018. So how does the tackle look back on his five seasons in Santa Clara?
"I'm extremely fond of the time that I've had there," McGlinchey responded. "I think the Niners are a first-class organization all the way. I believe that the York family is one of the top ownership groups in football. I'm very thankful to have had the opportunity to play for them and thankful [to] John and Kyle for giving me my shot in the league.
"The Niners have one of the best support staff I've ever been around, people that are like family to me now, and a lot of my best friends are in the locker room. And on top of it, I wouldn't have met my wife if I didn't get drafted by the 49ers. So it all worked out in a great way. It's been my home for the last five years, and the Bay will remain my home, but I might have to take a six-month hiatus each year [in the future].
"I couldn't be prouder of the time that I've spent with the 49ers and the work that we've put in, the journey that we've been on. We had our hearts broken a number of times and just kept battling and kept coming back. And I think that speaks to the character of who we were and the guys that are in that locker room and the guys that have been the core guys for the last five or six years. And I'm happy and proud to have been one of them."
You can listen to the entire conversation with McGlinchey below.