Fox Sports analyst John Lynch, a former star safety with no management experience, will be the San Francisco 49ers’ new general manager, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
Lynch wasn’t publicly known to be a candidate until the news broke that he landed the job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he met with 49ers officials in the Bay Area on Thursday and Friday, then accepted the job Sunday.
After a 2-14 season that included a franchise-worst, 13-game losing streak, the 49ers fired general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly. The team subsequently settled on Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as its next head coach, though the deal won’t become official until after Shanahan guides the Falcons’ offense in the Super Bowl next Sunday.
Shanahan reportedly sat in with 49ers chief executive officer Jed York and chief strategy officer Paraag Marathe this weekend in Atlanta for interviews with two other candidates for the GM vacancy: Arizona Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough and Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton.
According to Schefter, Lynch phoned Shanahan a week ago and offered to take the job.
Lynch, 45, was a nine-time Pro Bowl player in a 15-year career. He was the Buccaneers’ third-round draft choice in 1993, and he spent 11 seasons in Tampa Bay. Lynch was a key member of a strong defense that led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title following the 2002 season.
He signed as a free agent with the Broncos in 2004, and he finished his career with Denver in 2007.
Lynch is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with voting scheduled for next weekend at the Super Bowl.