Speaking to reporters after Stanford's Pro Day on Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch admitted that this offseason has been difficult. He and his team were forced to sit on the sidelines as free agency kicked off, unable to be as active as they were used to.
"It's terrible sitting on your hands," Lynch told Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group.
That included watching several key contributors leave for more money with other teams and accepting offers the 49ers could no longer compete with after years of heavy spending while chasing a championship—only to come up short each season. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the team's longest-tenured player, was among those Lynch had to let go, uncertain if the 49ers could afford to bring him back.
Juszczyk was released, giving him the chance to explore his options. He even visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, just days after parting ways, the 49ers re-signed Juszczyk to a two-year deal—much to the fullback's delight.
"I think, just to put it in the simplest terms, at the end of the day, it was too much to leave home," Juszczyk admitted. "I wanted to be a Niner, and we were able to get to a number that I was comfortable with. And then, we were able to make the deal, and I couldn't be happier. And I'm trying not to look back at all. I'm just happy to be there and know I'm locked in for two more years."
Lynch noted that the new deal eliminates the need to regularly restructure Juszczyk's contract, as the team had done in the past.
"It worked out," Lynch said. "He was able to go see what was there. Sometimes, you have to go through that process to know how much this place meant to him. We did what we could do at the end, and we met at a place we were both happy."
With the new deal, Juszczyk remains the 49ers' longest-tenured player and is on track to become the 52nd player to spend at least 10 years with the organization—an honor represented on a wall at the team's Santa Clara headquarters. He could also become only the 10th player on that list who wasn't originally drafted by the 49ers (h/t to Kyle Madson of Niners Wire).
"We're thrilled to have him back," Lynch said. "He's been a big part [of us]. The opportunity to have a guy like that up on the 10-year Wall, it meant something to us and to him."