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General manager John Lynch is in Arizona with his San Francisco 49ers. That will be home for the foreseeable future after Santa Clara County introduced new restrictions prohibiting contact sports.
The 49ers admitted over the weekend that they felt blindsided by the news as they scrambled to figure out how to continue their season. On Saturday, the team was traveling for its game in Los Angeles when it learned via social media and text messages from family and friends about the restrictions.
Let's just say the 49ers didn't appreciate finding out that way, and head coach Kyle Shanahan let that be known after Sunday's game.
"I was just very disappointed (in the county) and very proud of our guys,"
Shanahan said, "that I couldn't give them the answers, and they could put it to the side and come out and play like that."
Santa Clara County executive
Dr. Jeff Smith fired back at Shanahan and the 49ers this week, questioning why the team felt blindsided by the news. He even questioned the 49ers' values, indicating that sports teams probably shouldn't play until it is completely safe to do so.
Said Smith: "One might envision a reemergence of team-building if the teams spent their time building a COVID relief fund for the community rather than trying to put the community at more risk."
On Thursday, Shanahan was asked about Smith's comments.
"I'm not (interested in reacting to) someone who questions our values who doesn't know us," the coach responded. "It shows what we're dealing with."
What did Lynch think of the whole situation? On Thursday, he joined KNBR and was asked if the 49ers were caught off guard by Santa Clara County's notice.
"Oh yeah. Absolutely we were," Lynch responded on the
Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks show. "Look, there's been a lot of back and forth. I don't know how much good that does anyone. The truth of the matter, we've had a very productive and good relationship with our county in our preparations for this season, which is different from any other. I'm actually grateful to them.
"The NFL has very intense protocols. Ours are even tougher than that because Santa Clara, I think, is as tough as it gets."
Lynch feels the reaction from Shanahan and his players was brought on by raw emotion, and the 49ers encourage everyone to speak his or her mind. So, of course, everyone did.
"You understand, it's a big county, and there's a pandemic, and people's lives are at stake," Lynch continued. "We get that. I just would tell you, I've been incredibly proud with the job we've done with the virus. Our testing protocols and such are as stringent as anybody throughout the country, and our guys have responded incredibly well.
"It did catch us off guard. Our guys managed to focus, get a big win, and then there was a lot of planning to do."
Lynch said that knowing that Santa Clara County had stringent restrictions already in place, more so than most places, the 49ers had already started working with the NFL to form contingency plans had the situation changed, preventing the team from playing at Levi's Stadium.
"That was more really [restrictions on playing] games," Lynch added. "I don't think we ever thought we'd have to leave to practice. So, that was probably the biggest surprise and the order that came down. Nothing had been said about that. We'd been talking (with the county) about a number of other things, in constant communication, so that's probably what threw us for a loop more than anything."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
The San Francisco 49ers are holding their local pro day today at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The team has released the full roster of participants.
An NFL local pro day is an event hosted by teams to allow prospects with ties to the local area to showcase their skills in front of team personnel. These prospects typically hail from nearby colleges or have some other connection to the region where the team is based. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and a contingent of coaches, executives, and scouts will be on hand to evaluate prospective draftees during the 49ers' local pro day.
The event aims to give the team a closer look at these local talents who may have received less attention during the regular scouting process. It will allow the
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch and Offensive Line coach Chris Foerster were in Seattle on Saturday scouting prospects of the Washington Huskies. While Washington has multiple talented draft prospects, the fact that Foerster was accompanying Lynch is notable considering Washington has two offensive linemen who are getting a lot of attention—Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten.
Per source, John Lynch, Chris Foerster looked at several Washington draft prospects today. Huskies are loaded with draft talent, including …WR: Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillanOL: Troy Fautanu, Roger RosengartenEDGE:
Jeff Garcia has been impressed by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in his two seasons with the team. As the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy was thrust into the spotlight after the 49ers faced quarterback injuries and proved his NFL mettle.
While some doubts lingered after his rookie season, Purdy's resilience shone through. Despite starting only five regular-season games, he guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where, unfortunately, he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm. Garcia was among those who wondered whether Purdy could maintain his success into his second season.
Last year, coming off surgery, Purdy set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. His impressive performance
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
