When the San Francisco 49ers hired away Kyle Shanahan from the Atlanta Falcons, many thought it would usher in a new era of dominance for the legendary franchise. While that still may be, the first two seasons for Shanahan have been anything but great, and according to many, friction is beginning to build between the coach and general manager John Lynch.
According to a recent report from Bleacher Report, the two members of the 49ers are not seeing eye to eye as far as a vision for the future goes. While Shanahan apparently is content with just developing the players he is given and does not want to be involved in the player evaluation portion of the NFL, he is apparently distrusting of the decision-making of Lynch.
Lynch, a Hall of Fame player and former media member, doesn’t have a huge past in scouting, which most general managers either do or are heavily involved in.
While the 49ers signed both members of their franchise to a six-year contract, the report states that if the team doesn’t turn things around, Lynch and chief deputy Adam Peters may be forced out of the franchise, with Shanahan getting to choose his own personnel man to help the team through free agency and the draft.
Of course, anything this major must be taken with a grain of salt, but the 49ers have been in a rut for the past two years. While last year could be blamed on the torn ACL of Jimmy Garoppolo, the outlook for this season isn’t that much brighter.
The 49ers still have to contend in an extremely competitive division alongside the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, and they’re still looking for help in some key areas.
If Garoppolo can return and become the franchise quarterback that the team envisioned him being, things likely ease up in the front office.
If he can’t, however, it’ll be interesting to see just how fast things move in terms of possibly cleaning house.
UPDATE: Shanahan responded to this report, calling it “complete bulls**t.”
Follow Us
Subscribe