The San Francisco 49ers have built a strong team over the past six years, rebuilding from one of the worst rosters when head coach Kyle Shanahan was hired, to making their third NFC Championship Game this past season, their third such appearance since 2019.
How have they managed such sustained success? Via the NFL Draft, where they've selected homegrown stars, such as Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, amongst others to serve as key components of their roster.
A huge part of that evaluation comes from assistant general manager Adam Peters, who many have seen as the face of the scouting department, and has significant input on the 49ers' draft strategy.
Peters' acumen as a scout and a leader of the front office has led him to receive General Manager interviews in each of the past two offseasons, as he was named a finalist for the New York Giants position last year before Buffalo Bills executive Joe Schoen got the job, and declined opportunities with several organizations this offseason to return to San Francisco.
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However, there might be a potential connection for Peters' departure, as the San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver shared that there is talk of Peters being targeted by the Houston Texans, which was in response to a report from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio that Houston's current general manager, Nick Caserio, could return to New England following the draft.
To further flesh out the rumor: the talk is that 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters would be targeted to replace Caserio https://t.co/CgQKmN6Ve7
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) April 13, 2023
Peters has been a longtime member of the 49ers front office, joining the organization during the start of the Kyle Shanahan regime as the Vice President of Player Personnel before being elevated to assistant GM.
Furthermore, Peters has a hometown background, having been born in Cupertino, California, which could be one of the reasons why he's remained loyal to the organization, despite several opportunities to leave.
However, if the Houston Texans do indeed target Peters as their GM if Caserio leaves for the Patriots, what should the 49ers do?
The answer? Make him the general manager.
John Lynch has done a good job over his six-year tenure working with the organization to turn the franchise around, but Peters' value with the draft is significant to the 49ers, especially when combining that with his commitment to the team past the short-term.
Peters has a stellar background, working under Bill Belichick in New England from 2003-2008 before moving to the Denver Broncos from 2009-2016. Each team won at least one Super Bowl during Peters' tenure.
He's more than deserving of the position and clearly has the respect of his peers around the league, but more importantly, serves as a better fit for the 49ers than John Lynch currently, due to his value as a talent evaluator, as well as his long-term standing with the team, which may not be there for the current general manager.