The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly not going to force new general manager John Lynch to jump into the deep end of the pool as a rookie executive.
Instead, the much maligned franchise will ease Lynch into the role with the strong supporting cast it has assembled behind him in the hopes he grows into the role, much like John Elway did with the Denver Broncos.
“In a nod to the novice’s resume, the 49ers are surrounding him with a support staff that will include just-hired vice president of player personnel Adam Peters, who was the Broncos’ director of college scouting,” writes Eric Branch of SFGate.com. “Lynch also will lean on Tom Gamble, their assistant GM in 2016, while chief negotiator Paraag Marathe handles the majority of contract work. Finally, incoming head coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to have control of the 53-man roster.”
While Lynch takes a back seat to the above-mentioned men when it comes to personnel decisions and contract negotiations, he’s expected to spearhead the team’s push to become a respectable franchise again after falling from grace.
While some might view this progression as evidence that the 49ers still don’t get it as it pertains to how to build sustainable success, it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.
The move to hire Lynch will, in the end, be viewed as a smashing success or another dismal failure. Given the support he has behind him, though, with Peters, Gamble and Marathe — not to mention Kyle Shanahan, presumably — the 49ers have as good a chance as any rebuilding franchise to succeed.