Is the San Francisco 49ers' front office about to get a shake-up? According to Bay Area Sports Columnist and Radio host Dieter Kurtenbach, changes may be on the way. And they could be coming soon.

Appearing as a guest on the Gold Standard Podcast with Rob "Stats" Guerrera, Kurtenbach said the 49ers have discussed hiring someone in the front office to serve as a de facto GM, and if they make a move like this, it could happen in the next two weeks.


"There has been conversation about that," Kurtenbach told Guerrera, regarding potential changes to the 49ers' front office.

Asked if there had been "significant" conversation about this, Kurtenbach answered, "Not enough to where it's actually happening, but there has been conversation to that degree. It wouldn't shock me in the next couple of weeks if a hire was made that gave you a pretty clear indication that that's the way things are going."

If Kurtenbach is correct and the 49ers decide to shake up the front office, he believes it may happen soon. But what would that look like? Would current GM John Lynch be reassigned, promoted, or removed altogether? It doesn't sound as though the 49ers would part ways with Lynch. He's too valuable as an ambassador and face of the franchise.

Still, there could be changes coming, and perhaps they are warranted. After all, many believe the 49ers have been inconsistent, at best, in drafting difference-makers. All you have to do is look at the trade that brought Trey Lance to the 49ers in 2021. San Francisco drafted a QB at number three overall who is no longer on the team. Meanwhile, players like Ja'Marr Chase, Penei Sewell, and Micah Parsons were available.

And there was the horrific 2023 draft. The 49ers didn't have a pick until the third round. Even though they had three in that round, two of them are no longer with the team.


A couple of weeks ago, someone reached out to me on social media and told me they've heard Lynch is being replaced as GM. The individual even referenced Lynch and Kyle Shanahan's end of the season presser to try to make their point, saying Lynch looked and sounded like someone who was fearful of losing his job. But in all transparency, I disregarded those messages because I questioned whether this person had any insider knowledge. I assumed it was just someone trying to make a name for himself, or was simply a disgruntled fan hoping for a change. So, I ignored it.

But if Kurtenbach is hearing the same thing, perhaps I moved on from that person's message too quickly. Could the 49ers make a big front office move? If so, will it happen before Lynch addresses the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in just over a week?

"Might not happen," Kurtenbach added. "But the conversation, in order to bring this person in, such a delineation, while not strictly prescribed in the hiring, would make it very easy to infer or very easy to see how such a delineation of John Lynch as president of football operations, fill in the blank as day-to-day general manager and Kyle Shanahan as head coach and most important voice in the building would fall into place.

"That does not mean it's going to happen. It does not mean that it is, to my knowledge, imminent. It's just to say that in the conversation on 'should we bring this guy in,' such a delineation would have to informally take place because there's no way to bring him in otherwise."

As Kurtenbach noted multiple times, a change may not occur. But there apparently have been talks about bringing in someone who would be a de facto GM. What that would mean for Lynch remains to be seen.


You can watch the full Kurtenbach interview on the Gold Standard Podcast below.

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Written By:

Marc Adams


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