San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Give us an update, if there is one, on QB Brock Purdy negotiations. Where does that stand?
"We have started negotiations, we're talking. I won't go into negotiations, like always is our stance. I want Brock to be our quarterback as long as we're here and beyond and we'll leave it at that. I think the final thing, there are no guarantees that we get something done, but my experience has been, when both sides are motivated, there's ample opportunity to do so and we've been able to do that."
Even though New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was only there for one season, what was his impact on the defensive staff and how do you see that transitioning to him being a defense coordinator for the Saints?
"Well, we brought Brandon in for a reason, because of the regard we held him in for his football mind. And it wasn't our best year, but I think we saw just that. Brandon is a, he's got a great football mind. He's got a good way of communicating and we really enjoyed the opportunity to work with him. I think the Saints really got a good one. Good decision by [New Orleans Saints executive vice president and general manager] Mickey [Loomis] and [New Orleans Saints head coach] Kellen [Moore] and everybody there, and I wish them well."
What was the situation with former quarterbacks coach Brian Griese? What did he tell you guys?
"So Griese, when he committed, kind of an outside of the box thing that [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] had always thought of Griese, that he'd be a great coach. He approached him, I think Griese was in a different world and he had given it some thought on the front end, and at the time he gave us a three-year commitment. He's a very principled guy. I think as often does, I think family and certain other things, I don't want to speak for Brian, but other things were pulling at him. Respect that he made a tough decision, but one he thought was best for him and his family."
And his decision was what?
"To step away."
Permanently?
"No, I think to take some time and we'll see where it goes. Again, I don't want to speak for Brian, but we had good conversations. It's all good. It was just a family decision that he made."
What was the process to bring defensive coordinator Robert Saleh back? How excited are you guys to have him back?
"It's awesome to have Saleh back. It felt like he never left, to be honest. You get very close with folks when you work with them as much as we do. Saleh brought a great deal when he was last here, I think he's even better now with the experiences he's had. And it's a welcome sight to have him back, the energy that he brings, the expertise that he brings, the leadership he brings. We're very happy to have Robert and his growing family. That has grown quite a bit since he last left, I think number eight on the way. Happy for Sanaa and Robert and we love their family. We love what Robert brings. I remember meeting with him in my backyard when Kyle asked me, 'Hey, I want you to interview this guy. I think he'd be a great DC for us.' And he had me from that moment on."
How big of a hand did Robert have in bringing special teams coordinator Brant Boyer from the Jets to the special teams squad?
"I think he was a great reference. We had a lot of good special teams interviews. It's not something you look forward to doing every offseason, but we had an opportunity, Kyle was kind enough to let me, or ask me to sit in on a lot of them, to meet with a lot of really talented people. And Brant was a guy that the people who we hold in high regard in the special teams world, everybody kept saying he was in that list of people we should talk to. I think it helped to talk to Robert, it helped to talk to guys like [Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator] Jeff Ulbrich, who worked with him. And then most of all, to sit down, hear his vision for our special teams group and get his thoughts. And he's been a great contribution already."
When you look at the college football landscape, how much has changed, even maybe from when you were coming out? I don't know how NFL ready you thought you were when you were coming out, but now they get NIL money, now they get transfer portals, now there are a lot of different areas for you to evaluate guys. Do you see more older guys coming out that are more NFL ready? Or yes and no, that the experiences they're having in college may or may not make them ready?
"Well, I would tell you we're still kind of in that wild west. There are so many new things happening in college football. And so my hope is that over time, you get guardrails and we get this to the right place. We sit in these interviews with these kids, we're fortunate enough to have them and it's great to learn about them, but when you hear them like, 'Yeah, my agent and I made a decision.' Wait, you're not supposed to have an agent. Yes, you do have agents, high school kids have agents. So it's a different world. One of the advantages I think we get is a lot of these guys now have money in college and oftentimes, you've got to make mistakes to learn. Sometimes they've made their mistakes and hopefully they're a little better equipped. We used to get them when they never had money, and all of a sudden they have money and they've got people asking them for money and, 'You should do this investment.' Maybe they're a little more battle-tested by the time they get to us. It's one perspective. I try to be an optimist and that is one thing that we've seen that can be a positive."
How NFL already were you? Or how NFL ready do you think you were?
"I was a position switch my junior year, so I was new to DB. The [Tampa Bay Buccaneers] Bucs didn't think I was very prepared, because it took me three years to become a starter. Fortunately, it all worked out."
Have you talked to T Trent Williams recently and is he definitely playing football this year?
"Trent's playing and he's ready. I think he's really motivated to come back. That's rarefied air that Trent lives in and when you're a player that has experience playing at those heights, you don't want to play unless you're playing at that level. And I think that's where Trent's at. I think we're going to see a real motivated Trent Williams to come back and have a great year and that's a good thing for us."
Kind of going off of the age and the new college football landscape, what is your kind of opinion on younger players having a higher ceiling compared to older players? What's your kind of take on that? Do you feel like older players can still have a higher ceiling?
"There are some teams that really have a philosophy of, they won't touch a player that's a little older, that's probably had to adjust. Covid and stuff had guys staying at school longer, NIL has guys staying at school longer. So I think if you really stay true to that, you're limiting the pool that you're picking from. I think sometimes we have to ask ourselves, are you trying to get this guy for 12 years? Which is, if you're looking for that, it's a small, small percentage or are you looking for one contract and then hopefully more? So it's an interesting topic. It's one we constantly discuss. There are pluses and minuses to both sides. Having a young guy that you think you can develop and is already a good player, and then a guy who's a little more battle tested, been through a little more. It's an interesting conversation."
How's RB Christian McCaffrey doing from a health standpoint?
"He's doing great. Yeah, Christian's doing really well and I think was real frustrated with the way last season went. And doing everything in his possible, as he did in preparation for last year, and we're hoping CMC is out there. Going to have a tremendous year. If he is healthy, he will have a tremendous year, that's just what he does."
Is the expectation is that he'll be ready for the offseason program?
"I think so, I think at least parts of it. We'll be judicious and follow the medical folk's advice on that. But Christian's, he's done a great job doing the rehab. He's tireless. If anything, you've always got to say, 'Woah.' to Christian. And as my friend [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin says, it's a lot better to have to say woah than it is to say sit them. So Christian is a woah guy because he's going to do everything possible to give himself a chance."
Last year you guys had a difficult season. Was there maybe a change to the way you guys had to approach it or do you guys still have a similar approach?
"Very similar approach. I think if anything, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and I have worked together a long time. So just walking through the halls, I was just at a restaurant, ran into [Houston Texans head coach] DeMeco Ryans and [Miami Dolphins senior passing game coordinator] Bobby Slowik right before him and [Miami Dolphins head coach] Mike McDaniel over there. All these guys that have been with us over the years and personnel people, [Washington Commanders general manager] Adam Peters. So a lot of people contributed a lot to really refining a process that we work by and we always are tweaking it, trying to make it better. So I think if anything when you have some form of continuity and we've had that it allows you to have systems, challenge them, test them, what's working, what's not, and continue to hone in and always try to get better. You never stay the same, so you always are trying to."
Is there a health update on WR Brandon Aiyuk? There was also a report from the Combine that teams are poking around interested in trading for him. Is there any interest?
"Yeah, that typically happens with really good players. I remember, I think two years ago, having similar conversations. You get calls and you always listen to calls. I think since Kyle and I have been here, we've been certainly a top five, I believe, number two, cash spending team in the four years. Going into the fourth year, I think we're the fourth highest cash spending team, so at some point you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate. You can't just keep pressing the pedal and I think there's some good that could come out. We need to get younger, I think we're the oldest team in football trying to make a run at the deal last year. And I think it's good to constantly get younger. Our draft class last year was a great move towards that. We'll have four picks in the top 100. If the comp picks happen, like we see it, that's always a calculation. We will have 10 picks overall and we're excited about adding more youth to a great core of players that we already have."
You said you're not interested in moving off from a good player since then, Deebo's requested a trade. What's the latest with him?
"Still not interested, but along those lines of the financial constraints and some conversations we've had with Deebo, it's something, we've been forthright with that. We're on good terms with Deebo. He's asked for a fresh start and I think we're going to honor that. I don't like seeing great players leave and he is a great player. I think often one of my favorite draft picks in my time. He makes plays and he makes game changing plays and everything's good. But I think at some point, time happens. He asked for that. We don't always, there's contracts and things, but it probably makes sense. So we're at least allowing him to look and we're having conversations. We'll see where that goes."
How do you view the Draft overall? Do you see a more defensive heavy, offensive heavy, are there pockets in there? Do you feel like there's a sweet spot maybe in the Draft? What is your overall viewpoint?
"Lot of good players. You always get concerned. Someone was talking earlier about the landscape of college football. These guys are being offered tremendous amounts of money to go back to school. And last I remember, school's pretty fun. So, I think a lot of guys are taking that route and they're being incentivized. So then you wonder, is this going to really hurt our Draft? And maybe in the late rounds it has, but the encouraging thing is I start to look and we're still in right in the thick of the process. There's a lot of good football players. Some could argue are there the impact top end players that there have been in past Drafts? I don't know. We're not drafting, that high, but I think there's a lot of good football players across the board. There are some stronger positions than others. But there's a lot of good football players and so we're encouraged by that."
Is this the week that you expect to start getting maybe a little bit more clarity on LB Dre Greenlaw, S Talanoa Hufanga just through conversations as to whether or not you might be able to bring them back?
"Those guys are fantastic players. Of course we have interest in bringing them back and we'll work our tails off to try to make that happen, whether it does, can't tell you that. But I think in the near future here, things are kicking off. So yeah, we've been in contact with them and their representatives and we'll continue to be."
What's the most challenging part of a situations like Deebo's where it's a good player who requests a trade? What's the most challenging aspect of a situation like that?
"Love, there's a lot of love there. There's a lot of respect there. There's a lot of shared experiences, so to let that go, that's difficult. But like I said, time happens and if it makes sense for both sides, you at least give it a chance. And so that's where we're at."
Did he explain why he wanted a fresh start?
"Yeah, but those are personal conversations and like I said, everybody's on good terms and hopefully we find a great place, then we will have to make a decision if we don't. But I can say there's been a lot of interest around the league."
Is there a scenario where he actually does come back?
"There's always a scenario. I've learned that as well."
With DL Javon Hargrave as a free agent, do you think it's a possibility in your eyes to retain him?
"It is, but I would tell you, I think that the D tackle market's going to be, it's a premium position and they typically do well. And even Javon who's coming off the tricep, I think he's well on his way to being healthy and I think it'd be a robust market, but we'll see. And we've had good discussions with Javon. When we kind of talked about the transaction we were going to make that yeah, we'd be interested in a scenario where he comes back and hopefully we can be involved in that. We'll see."
You mentioned the prospects that are good players but have more developmental upside versus impact players that you might draft. With the quarterback having a big number, does that maybe influence how you see that, which way you go more because of that?
"The one thing I've learned in this deal is everything is tied to everything, particularly when you're talking about a position like the quarterback position and the effect it has on your entire team. Now they can lift your entire team, but it can affect your entire team. And, we'll see where that goes but, our intention is to have a really good team around him and whatever that entails but it does have an impact."
What is your opinion on the latest legislation on the tush push?
"You know what, this is my first year on the competition committee, so I sat in there and I just listened. Credit to the Eagles and congratulations to the Eagles, as hard as is to say, respect. They had a tremendous season and a tremendous team right down to the end. And so a lot of good people in that organization and I congratulate them, they're fantastic at that play. And a big part of me, so I don't want to speak out of both sides of my mouth, I've always been a proponent, but if you don't like it, stop it. But I have my own feelings on that play and I long have, it's not real pretty to watch. I think back to my playing days and I think that might've made me do things that I wouldn't be proud of because if they aren't going to stop it, I'll stop it. That kind of trickles into players that have a certain mentality's head and I'm just being truthful there. And so I hope that's never the case. The competition committee, I've been really impressed the way they go about things. You go right down the line, let's talk about it, for the game of football, the aesthetics of it. But let's talk about, first and foremost is always health and safety. There's probably not enough significant data to show that, yeah, that a lot of people are getting injured on this play. There is, I think, a fear that something serious could happen on that play just because of the dynamics of it. And I think part of everyone's involved job is to make tough decisions before that ever happens. And so that's something they're weighing. There's great discussion and I think that discussion will go to the owners meeting in Florida here in the coming weeks and should be interesting and a lot of strong opinions on both sides."