John Lynch is getting the keys to a rocket ship and he’s never had NASA training.
It’s this kind of bold, swing-for-the-fences hire from San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York that will either jolt the organization from the bottom of the NFL back to the top, or further his growing reputation of botching the hiring process.
On a code secret mission with his lips sealed, York hired a GM with little qualifications from the national media to oversee a massive rebuilding project. On paper, the idea seems preposterous at first.
The stunning news Sunday night induced a mirage of adjectives, including unbelievable, head-scratching, outside-of-the-box and somewhat promising — all at the same time. A 9-time Pro Bowl safety known for his character, leadership and hard-hitting will now spearhead the massive rebuilding effort ahead of the San Francisco 49ers.
The cards are flopped over on the table and easy to read: The 49ers are hiring Lynch on the potential of how his personality can set the tone of the football team. Lynch doesn’t know how to run a scouting department. He probably needs to learn how to negotiate with agents. This is all a foreign language to him.
But the bet is that Lynch is smart enough, and resourceful enough, and has been around enough winning programs to master this foreign language. A John Lynch 49ers football team will probably stress toughness on defense and an emphasis on bringing in high character men. If you team that with Kyle Shanahan’s offense, there’s an equation for success. Whether it works or not is anybody’s best guess, but I understand the idea of this bold move.
The other part of this hire is as simple as it seems: It’s Steve Young. It’s John Elway. It’s bringing in a much-needed name to be the face and voice of your franchise and learn the ropes of picking players along the way. It’s betting on the potential that winning a Super Bowl with Jon Gruden, and learning under Mike Shanahan in Denver, Bill Walsh at Stanford and Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay will translate to some innate leadership traits Lynch seems to possess.
Young said it himself on KNBR, and it’s the best quote that explains this Lynch hiring:
“In football it’s such a gut feeling. The people skills — football is the ultimate people business,” Young said. “Other than the military, it’s just the ultimate people business, where you really gotta understand human beings and human behavior. Because that’s how you put locker rooms together, it’s not just tape measures and jumping and how high can they go and how far can they throw.”
Also don’t forget this about Lynch’s duties as a broadcaster: He’s built many relationships with star players and coaches around the league. He’s been picking the minds of everyone for quite a long time, building a book of what NFC coaches think. He’s also formed relationships with players who might be more inclined to sign as a free agent to a Lynch-led 49ers team.
There’s this, too: Kyle Shanahan has an eye for talent, and Lynch has a way with motivating. Dare I say there will be a little crossover in their jobs? Shanahan should get final say of the 53-man roster. He nudged Atlanta to sign Alex Mack this offseason and he’s developed numerous skill players into studs throughout the years — Alfred Morris, Aldrick Robinson, Taylor Gabriel. Shanahan understands which college players can translate and he knows the league inside and out. Shanahan can pick the next quarterback.
In turn, Lynch should be a prevalent person downstairs in the building in the locker room and in meetings. There’s no need to tuck No. 47 away in some corner office with a suit on. From time to time, Lynch should be addressing the football team, visible at practice and serve as a sounding board for Shanahan to squeeze the most out of this team. The 49ers are pairing two incredibly bright minds together. I don’t get how even the most pessimistic fan can’t recognize the potential here.
But, as is always the case, the other side of this coin exists and we can all agree it’s rather puzzling of how York came to this conclusion.
The concerns are glaringly obvious with this hire no matter how many press conferences Lynch wins, York will not get the benefit of the doubt for the foreseeable future.
The CEO is expecting an unexperienced talent evaluator who has never drafted a player nor signed a free agent to make hard decisions from day one — and not make any mistakes? Lynch is jumping into a swamp infested scouting world. There are people like Eliot Wolf who have been preparing their entire lives to be a GM and who have been evaluating college football tape for 20 seasons. York essentially was unconvinced anyone who had real experience in a successful scouting department around the NFL added no value to his football team. That’s kind of scary.
The fact that Lynch was able to walk away with a six-year contract shows you how mighty the 49ers have fallen. This is a long term marriage, and no matter how chaotic it might get with various leaks etc., York-Lynch-Shanahan is the new trio. Because of how well-connected both are around the NFL, this regime will be given extensive time to set up their program.
And for of how poorly run the franchise has been the last few seasons, this has to be brought up: Lynch is so unexperienced that a real fear from the fan base is that York will turn the All-Pro safety into a yes man. How will Lynch be able to tell the owner of the football team to leave the meeting room if York actually does have more experience in front office settings than his new GM? It’s a real issue to think about.
For as many skeptical components of this hiring to point out, there is one clear reason to understand why the 49ers made a blind leap of faith: Santa Clara has a serious void in leadership. Trent Baalke’s communication skills coupled with Chip Kelly’s laissez-faire culture and Jim Tomsula’s ineptitude eroded the building. There is no pride in being a 49er. The walls of the facility feel stale and lifeless. Employees, coaches, players, everyone needs someone to look at. Someone to inspire confidence. That’s now John Lynch.
Hiring Lynch on the potential that he has the bright mind to navigate the waters of becoming a successful executive in the NFL is not the worst strategy in the world. He could also fall flat on his face and make draft mistakes and there could be drama with Shanahan. That’s all very in play with how toxic the 49ers have been.
But the more dots you find to connect, the more this pairing makes sense. Shanahan had to approve of John Lynch — AND — part of the reason Lynch wanted to come here is that he believes in Shanahan’s coaching. Had the 49ers hired Sean McVay or Anthony Lynn, I really don’t think Lynch would have been gung-ho to come take on this reputation altering project. There is a genuine belief in the NFL that Shanahan is going to be able to replicate the sweet music he’s made in Atlanta. Take him away from the Falcons and they might’ve barely made the playoffs. In the midst of his Hall of Fame candidacy, Lynch wants to be attached to Shanahan’s future. That’s an amazing sign.
The hirings aren’t done, either. Lynch has to have multiple names in mind for the No. 2 position, which essentially will be a GM role in Year 1. Mark Dominik is a name that makes so much sense, because of the Tampa Bay connection and because he’s drafted some really good players over the years.
Would the state of the 49ers be in a better place had York hired Minnesota’s George Paton or Arizona’s Terry McDonough? That’s entirely debatable.
I’ll give props to York for trying to hit a home run. And I’ll anxiously await to see if the ball lands over the fences or its three strikes and your out for Jed.
