The San Francisco 49ers shocked the football world Sunday evening by announcing the hiring of Hall of Fame candidate John Lynch as the team’s new general manager (more on that here).
Lynch earned nine trips to the Pro Bowl during a brilliant 15-year NFL career that saw him act as one of the most physically intimidating safeties in the league. Out of the NFL as a player since 2007, Lynch has absolutely no front office experience.
The now former Fox broadcaster may be respected around the league, but San Francisco’s decision to give him the keys to the kingdom has been met with a wide range of opinions.
Shortly after it was reported Lynch would be the 49ers’ new general manager, indications came out that he would be bringing in an experienced front office guy with him.
It now looks like former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik could be that guy.
“Per multiple league sources, buzz is building toward the hiring of Dominik by the 49ers, likely as the director of player personnel or in an equivalent role,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Monday.
This really wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Lynch was a safety for the Buccaneers when Dominik was the team’s director of pro scouting. He was also a member of the organization when soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan acted as the team’s offensive quality control coach in 2007 and 2008.
The relationships the three have built is what has seemingly brought all this together. It could be a major upgrade over the situation San Francisco had in its front office dating back to the Jim Harbaugh days. The drama there is by now well known.
As it relates to Dominik, he spent 17 seasons with the Buccaneers, including a five-year span as the team’s general manager. The results there were mixed. His first draft included the selection of bust Josh Freeman in the first round. Though, Dominik would go on to add the likes of Pro Bowlers Gerald McCoy, Doug Martin and Lavonte David in later drafts.
It remains to be seen how this dynamic will play out. What we do know is that Shanahan will have a ton of say from a player personnel standpoint. As a first-year head coach, having experience around him will surely help. No matter our opinion of Lynch, he doesn’t provide that experience. Dominik does.