In February, it was reported that San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was offered about three times his current salary to leave his front-office job and return to the broadcast booth. Lynch worked for FOX before signing on with the Niners. That kind of offer would come in around an estimated $15 million annually.
After last season, Lynch addressed the rumors that he was contemplating a return to broadcasting.
"From time to time, opportunities are presented, and I can tell you and tell everyone that my commitment right now is to this organization," Lynch told reporters. "We're just coming off a season, but my commitment is to the 49ers, to the York family, to Kyle (Shanahan). And standing up in front of that team yesterday and just getting an opportunity to reflect on what we have—I do think we have something special, and we're here to win championships. … So my commitment is right here, and that's where I'll be."
That loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship significantly impacted Lynch's decision to pass on the new job and pay raise. The 49ers general manager again addressed the topic during the "Dwight Clark Legacy Series" event last week.
"But really, I think the moment for me, after we lost the NFC Championship Game, Kyle asked me to address the team, and that's when the clarity really came to me," Lynch told the audience via The Athletic. "I wasn't gonna address it until after the season. But I looked at myself, and I said, 'How do I sit up here and address these guys and talk about having the fortitude to fight through the pain of losing a game like this and then turn around and bolt on them?'"
Kyle Shanahan handpicked Lynch in 2017 to serve as the 49ers' general manager. The two were brought in together (Lynch was officially hired first because Shanahan's Falcons were still in the playoffs) and built a roster that has appeared in a Super Bowl and two of the last three NFC title matches. Lynch couldn't find it in him to turn his back on everything they had accomplished.
"I couldn't do it," Lynch said. "I knew right then what I was gonna do. And I'm happy to be a part of the Niners."
Upon joining the 49ers, Lynch said he left broadcasting because he wanted to impact the game again, something he couldn't do in the broadcast booth. That competitive desire came from playing 15 NFL seasons before his time with FOX and producing a Hall of Fame career.