6. Figuring out the 49ers’ new regime
It’s going to be a learning process for new 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. This is the first time either of them have been in their current positions. It surely is an upgrade over what we’ve seen over the past two years. But it’s also leaves a ton of questions.
The good news here is that San Francisco added a ton of front office experience to go with these two. Former top Broncos scout Adam Peters joins assistant general manager Tom Gamble and former Lions general manager Martin Mayhew to fill out the personnel department. Again, this doesn’t give us a real clue as to what the 49ers plan on doing in free agency.
We do, however, know a couple things. First off, San Francisco is likely to have north of $100 million when Colin Kaepernick opts out of his contract. That seems like an inevitability right now. Secondly, this also means the 49ers will be in the market for a veteran quarterback.
Linked to both Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo, it will be interesting to see if the 49ers’ new brass decides to start its tenure out with a bang. Sure both Lynch and Shanahan received six-year deals. This seems to be an indication that CEO Jed York and Co. will be patient with the tandem. But the team has a whole heck of a lot of capital to upgrade its roster. Why not use some of that out of the gate?
Coming off a two-win 2016 campaign that saw San Francisco finish dead last in the NFL in passing, it’s not just the quarterback position that needs to be upgraded. Torrey Smith is the only viable starting receiver on the roster and he’s coming off a dreadful 2016 performance. Set to count $9.5 million against the cap in 2017, there’s no guarantee he will be back.
That leads us to our final point here. Shanahan — coming off a 2016 season that saw him win the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year award with Atlanta — could be a major draw for high-level free agents on offense.
If the team were to then land a top-end quarterback either via free agency or a trade (hello, Tony Romo), that would potentially make it an even more appealing destination.
That’s where the likes of Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson come into play.
Either way, there’s just so many unknowns here. Will Kaepernick actually return? If not, who will the 49ers get to replace him?
How will the team spend its vast fortune in free agency? How these questions are answered will help define the start of the Lynch/Shanahan regime.