Tag: John Lynch

49ers may change contract negotiation tactics for Brandon Aiyuk

The 49ers have a typical timeline for contract negotiations. They may change that for Brandon Aiyuk.

49ers general manager John Lynch wasn’t interested in talking about the team’s ongoing contract negotiations with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Lynch opened his press conference by saying he wanted to focus on the draft, so naturally he was asked about the Aiyuk negotiations right away.

While the GM didn’t divulge much in the way of progress on the negotiations, he did offer some fascinating insight into how the team might change its typical contract negotiation timeline.

Under Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan the 49ers have done a nice job retaining their home-grown stars. Those long-term contracts typically come late in the offseason either right before camp or early in camp. For defensive end Nick Bosa it took until the week the season started. Doing it that way gave the team the maximum amount of time to negotiate a deal while also using soft deadlines like training camp start dates as leverage.

Now it sounds like San Francisco could be rethinking that strategy after recent negotiations with Bosa and WR Deebo Samuel bled into camp and limited some of their preparations for the season.

“I think there is human nature is that deadlines force these things, but I think you can always learn from situations and you’d be a fool not to,” Lynch said. “I’d like to have our business tidied up a little. Those things, they ran the course they needed to. I’m proud of our record of getting the guys we want to get done, done. But I’m right there with everyone else. I’d sure like it to happen sooner.”

This could be genuine reflection from Lynch and an indication that the club believes dragging out negotiations is somehow damaging for players who have the contract lingering over them throughout the offseason. It might also be lip service since hoping a deal happens sooner than later has been a common theme for the 49ers during these types of negotiations.

Fans would certainly love to see the club shrink the timeline on such deals though. An offseason where Aiyuk speculation is ceased well before training camp would be boring, but a welcome reprieve from the standard turbulent offseason contract negotiations.

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2024 NFL draft: 49ers number of 1st-round and draftable grades

Here’s how many first-round and draftable grades the 49ers have on this year’s class:

There are slated to be 257 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but the number of players with draftable grades in the 49ers’ war room falls well short of that. This is true for virtually every team. The challenge of the draft is trying to maneuver and pick as many players with draftable grades as possible

General manager John Lynch on Monday told reporters in a press conference that San Francisco has 170 players with draftable grades in the 2024 class. Of those 170, just 22 have first-round grades.

The bad news for the 49ers is they pick 31st overall, which doesn’t bode well for their chances to get one of their 22 players with first-round grades. They may need to trade up to find one of those.

The good news is the 49ers hold six selections in the top 170, and another at 176. That gives them a really good chance of adding a handful of players with a grade the team deems draftable.

It’s nigh impossible San Francisco will connect on all of those picks, but giving themselves as many opportunities as possible to find a couple of long-term starters is a good strategy for building through the draft.

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GM John Lynch explained how NIL in college football could impact 49ers’ 2024 draft plans

NIL in college football is now impacting how teams approach the draft according to 49ers GM John Lynch.

The 2024 NFL draft has always been a big deal for the 49ers’ immediate future. They need to start figuring out what the next iteration of their roster looks like with so many core players either. aging out of their primes or being priced out of the 49ers’ budget. However, general manager John Lynch on Monday in a press conference indicated a different way the team will have the future in mind in the draft.

Lynch revealed that 83 draft-eligible players the 49ers put grades on at the start of the 2023 college football season went back to school instead of entering the draft. He also said that could impact how San Francisco operates in this year’s selection process.

“I was just looking at my notes and like one interesting thing to me, dynamic in the way of the world right now, we put a grade on players in the fall if we think there’s a more than 50-percent chance that they’re going to be in this Draft,” Lynch said. “So 83 players from this year’s class that we put grades on (returned to school). So thinking there’s more than a 50-percent chance, thinking they’re entering the Draft, are back in college because of NIL and things like that. There’s now a different route these kids can take and 35 of those are with starter grades. So that’s a significant amount. And how that affects this Draft, it’s gonna be interesting.”

This could mean a couple of things. The 49ers may be looking to acquire future picks when they move around the board during the draft. It might also affect what positions they’re selecting this year knowing there could be quality at other positions in next year’s class.

For now though the 49ers need to ensure they’re getting quality players in the 2024 draft. Finding a couple of starters this year would take some pressure off the next few seasons, which is helpful no matter how good the team thinks a particular draft class will be.

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John Lynch mum on Brandon Aiyuk contract talks

John Lynch didn’t want to say much about the Brandon Aiyuk contract negotiations. Mission accomplished!

49ers general manager John Lynch on Monday spoke with reporters ahead of the NFL draft which begins Thursday. Before taking questions Lynch addressed the sizable elephant in the room — the contract talks with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Lynch last spoke with reporters at the NFL owners meetings in March and didn’t have an Aiyuk update. Since then there have been rumors swirling, but nothing definitive from neither the 49ers nor Aiyuk’s camp. Lynch wanted to make clear early in his availability that he wouldn’t have any Aiyuk updates Monday.

”B. A. I’ve communicated on many occasions our wish,” Lynch said. “And our wish is that he’s here and part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We’re working through that, and as such, I was a player once and I never liked my business being out in the public, and so I’m gonna respect that. I’m not gonna speak for their side. I can say we’re having good talks and I’m just gonna leave it at that.”

It’s not a huge surprise Lynch didn’t want to dive into the contract negotiations in public. Aiyuk’s agent has also been quick to publicly refute rumors of trade talks between the 49ers and other teams.

Lynch reiterated his stance that the 49ers want to keep Aiyuk — a statement he also gave last time he spoke with media at the NFL owners meetings in March.

It’s unlikely we’ll see anything definitive on the Aiyuk situation until the draft. If he’s not dealt on Day 1 of the draft it’s unlikely he’ll be moved this year, which will turn the attention away from potential trades and toward the negotiations. After that we’ll probably have to wait for a deal to come together before we hear Lynch or anyone else from the 49ers say something of substance about it.

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Patience a virtue for 49ers in 2024 draft

Why one draft analyst believes patience is key for the #49ers in this year’s draft.

There’s certainly a world where the 49ers get aggressive and start flying up the board in this year’s draft. Having patience may wind up being a better path forward for them though given where their roster stands and some of the needs they have beyond their starting 22 on offense and defense. Patience may be a better avenue for them this year, especially if they’re looking to build out another Super Bowl contender in a new Super Bowl window beyond the one they’re currently operating in.

NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is on board with a patient approach for the 49ers given how deep this year’s class is at some key positions. While the 31st overall pick may keep them from landing a blue chip talent at a premium position, it will also give them a chance to add quality depth in  areas their roster is lacking without trading up.

“I mean, they’ve got a nice haul of picks here. If they want to move up, they absolutely have the ammunition to do so,” Jeremiah said Wednesday in a conference call. “I just think when you look at the needs that they have and some of the different areas that they could go, if you’re thinking about corners and edge rushers, maybe you miss out on the top tier. Interior offensive linemen, grabbing a wide receiver if they want one. I still
think there will be a quality corner there, personally, even though some of the
top guys might go. I don’t really see them in a position where they need to do
that.

“I think this is more filling out your roster, getting a layer of depth. They have the stars in place so I don’t think they’re in a position where they have a must, ‘hey, we’ve got to get up there. We must get this accomplished.’ I
don’t feel like they’re in that spot here. I think they can be a little more patient
than that.”

The 49ers’ front office is one that won’t hesitate to move up when it finds a player it likes. It’ll also climb up to attack a very obvious, glaring need. They may or may not feel that way about their offensive tackle situation, but it’s clear they can come away from the 2024 draft with a successful haul without a major move up the board.

Sitting and waiting may be tough given how close the team is to getting over the hump for a Super Bowl, but the potential long-term gain would be worth that patience.

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NFL draft: Never rule out 49ers adding DL help

A draft analyst took the 49ers out of the running for one of the draft’s top edge rushers. We are going to go ahead and not do that based on everything we know about the 49ers.

Never underestimate the 49ers’ desire to bolster their defensive line. A handful of free agency moves that saw the club add a pair of defensive ends and a pair of defensive tackles might have pushed the defensive front down their perceived list of needs, but San Francisco’s front office isn’t above continuing to add there.

A recent report from draft analyst Tony Pauline indicated the 49ers would be out on Western Michigan pass rusher Marshawn Kneeland because the club signed Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos in free agency.

We’re going to go ahead and rebut the argument (from Pauline or anyone else) that the 49ers can be crossed off the list of teams that might be interested in Kneeland in the second round (or possibly late in the first round) of this year’s draft, because the 49ers can never have enough pass rush help.

When the club was in pursuit of then-Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack, general manager John Lynch said pass rush was as important to a defense as the quarterback is to an offense. The team has continued prioritizing their pass rush throughout Lynch’s tenure with head coach Kyle Shanahan. They drafted Nick Bosa No. 2 overall in 2019. They traded for DE Dee Ford that same offseason. In 2022 they used a second-round pick on USC DE Drake Jackson. Last year they spent a fifth-round choice on Georgia DE Robert Beal. All the while they’ve added low-risk, high-reward free agents at those spots as well.

Floyd and Gross-Matos should help a 49ers pass rush that sorely lacked in production last year, but history tells us a couple of veteran free agent additions won’t stop San Francisco from adding more depth, particularly if they believe that player can be a starter over the long-term. A player like Kneeland (or pick your favorite DE in this year’s class) wouldn’t have much competition for snaps right away since Gross-Matos figures to play inside some of the time and neither Jackson nor Beal are proven commodities at the NFL level.

It’s entirely conceivable the 49ers view DE as one of their top needs for this year and in the future. They might even use a first-round pick there depending on how the board shakes out. Of course, there are other positions San Francisco could spend its first couple selection on, but the defensive line is always a spot they’ll look to improve and ruling them out of the sweepstakes for one of the draft’s top edge rushers isn’t something we’re willing to do.

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Will 49ers sign any more free agents?

Are the #49ers done making free agency additions? Sort of!

It sure looks like the 49ers might have their significant free agency additions all wrapped up. With less than a month until the draft it’s hard to find a spot on the 49ers roster where one of the top remaining free agents makes a ton of sense.

There are a handful of places where depth could be helped by a veteran presence. Defensive line is always a place teams need depth. So are cornerback and offensive line. For the 49ers specifically there were some questions about what they’d do at safety since they could use help there, but with Talanoa Hufanga on track to return during training camp from his torn ACL that need is diminished pretty significantly.

Some of this could change a little if the Lions wind up matching the offer sheet the 49ers agreed to with restricted free agent tight end Brock Wright. They could also decide veteran depth alongside Hufanga, Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum is more valuable than a draft pick or third-year undrafted free agent Tayler Hawkins.

If Wright winds up back in Detroit the 49ers could, and probably should, bring in a veteran they trust to handle the backup TE duties. It’s notable that long-time 49er Ross Dwelley is still available.

San Francisco has also had meetings with veteran safeties, but made it clear a starting spot wasn’t guaranteed. Given where they’re salary cap-wise a rookie who can develop and play special teams might be more valuable long-term than a veteran who is more game-ready in 2024.

There will continue being tweaks and additions as the team enters its offseason program. There will also likely be some signings after the dust has settled on the draft and the 49ers can make their final adjustments to their 90-man offseason roster.

So, the 49ers aren’t necessarily done signing free agents, but they’re likely done making additions that are going to move the needle with any kind of significance. It’s all about the NFL draft and the start of their offseason program moving forward.

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Why did 49ers lose 2025 5th-round pick?

It turns out a $75,000 mistake cost the 49ers their 2025 fifth-round pick.

It turns out a fifth-round pick is worth about $75,000.

49ers general manager John Lynch on Monday at the NFL owners meetings told reporters the team’s accounting error that cost them a 2025 fifth-round pick came during the 2020 season when they overpaid a player by $75,000.

Instead of reporting the mistake to the league, the team tried to get the money back from the player. They were unable to do so, and their mistake was caught by the league heading into this season.

Since San Francisco didn’t circumvent the salary cap or do anything maliciously their punishment was relatively mild. Their No. 131 pick in the fourth round of this year’s draft dropped to No. 135, while their 2025 fifth-round pick was vacated. Still, Lynch told reporters he disagreed with the level of punishment the NFL handed down per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

While the 49ers may not have made the mistake on purpose, the league still has to ensure punishments are levied for such errors. Given the nature of this miscue, the punishment is probably fitting. Surely San Francisco will report the mistake through the proper channels in the future.

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John Lynch: 49ers not having trade talks about Brandon Aiyuk

John Lynch addressed the Brandon Aiyuk trade stuff at the NFL owners meetings.

The Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors have started flying with the first waves of free agency starting to slow down. Reports have surfaced about the Jaguars and Steelers both being interested in Aiyuk, but 49ers general manager John Lynch on Monday at the NFL owners meetings denied any report that San Francisco has had talks about trading the 26-year-old All-Pro.

According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Lynch said the 49ers are in talks with Aiyuk about an extension and that any reports of trade discussions are false. Lynch also noted the 49ers would be fine letting Aiyuk play out the fifth year of his rookie contract with no long-term extension.

The problem isn’t whether the 49ers would let Aiyuk play out the deal. It’s whether Aiyuk would be willing to take the field without an extension. San Francisco holds most of the power here since skipping a year would also lose a year of service for Aiyuk, putting him right back in the same spot next season.

However, the 49ers aren’t likely to want Aiyuk playing on that fifth-year option for a couple reasons. First, that may sever the long-term relationship entirely if they make him play without any kind of long-term security. Second, his $14.2 million cap hit this year could actually be reduced via a longer-term deal.

This is where the contract negotiation part of this comes in and it’s why the 49ers should have some optimism about getting a deal done. It’s in their best interest to give Aiyuk what he deserves, and it’s in Aiyuk’s best interest to get that deal signed so he can go into 2024 with the proverbial bag in hand.

Alas, those negotiations will happen as much in public as they do in private. Lynch could very easily be lying about the trade talks and the willingness to let Aiyuk play on the fifth-year option. If Aiyuk’s camp is looking for a deal north of what the 49ers are willing to pay, then a trade will have to be on the table if they want to recoup anything for the WR.

All of this should happen relatively quickly though. If San Francisco’s brass believes they’ll have to trade the receiver, they’ll want to do so before this year’s draft to ensure they’re going to get quality draft capital that can help this year.

If a trade doesn’t materialize, then we can expect this to go well into the offseason and even into training camp. That’s how the 49ers have typically done business, and it appears they’re on track to follow the same path they’ve followed with Fred Warner, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel in recent seasons.

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This 49ers team could have been a Broncos team

The Broncos could have hired Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch in 2017, and they also explored trading up for Christian McCaffrey in the draft.

For the second time in five years, the San Francisco 49ers are in a Super Bowl. Perhaps the Denver Broncos could have been in a similar scenario had a few hires gone their way in 2017.

After former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak stepped down for health reasons following the 2016 season, the candidates to replace him included Kyle Shanahan, the son of legendary former coach Mike Shanahan.

Shanahan interviewed for Denver’s opening, but the team, led by John Elway and Joe Ellis at the time, ultimately decided to hire Vance Joseph instead. Joseph went 11-21 in two seasons before being fired. Shanahan has reached four conference title games (and two Super Bowls) since being passed over by the Broncos.

That same year, San Francisco hired former Denver safety John Lynch as their general manager. The Broncos did not have a GM job available for Lynch because Elway held that role, but late former team owner Pat Bowlen offered Lynch a job with the team “many times.”

Lynch waited for the perfect opportunity, which arrived when the 49ers offered him the GM position. Had things gone differently, the Broncos could have had Shanahan as their head coach and Lynch as a member of the front office. But wait, there’s more…

That same spring, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey — the son of legendary Denver receiver Ed McCaffrey — was a top prospect in the NFL draft. Elway and the Broncos attempted to trade up for McCaffrey on draft day but the price proved to be too steep.

McCaffrey was picked eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Denver stayed put at No. 20 and landed Utah left tackle Garett Bolles. After struggling early in his career, Bolles earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020. He’s a good player, but McCaffrey is an elite player, winning Offensive Player of the Year this season after leading the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards.

Seven years ago, the Broncos could have hired Shanahan and Lynch, and (for a price) traded up to land McCaffrey as well. Some fans in Denver might contend that it wouldn’t matter if the Broncos still didn’t find a quarterback, but Shanahan has proven he can win without an elite QB.

Denver’s connections to San Francisco don’t stop with Shanahan, Lynch and McCaffrey, either.

Brian Griese, the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, was Elway’s backup when the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII. Klay Kubiak, San Fran’s assistant QBs coach, is the son of Gary Kubiak, who served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and QBs coach for back-to-back Super Bowl wins under Shanahan in the late 1990s, then he won a title as Denver’s head coach in 2015.

Anthony Lynn, the 49ers’ assistant head coach and running backs coach, was a backup behind Terrell Davis for a pair of Super Bowl wins. Bobby Turner, another San Fran running backs coach, held that same role with the Broncos under Mike Shanahan from 1995-2009, winning two Super Bowls.

With so many connections to Denver, this San Francisco squad should have the full backing of Broncos Country on Super Bowl Sunday.