The 49ers’ General Manager search came to a surprising end on Sunday night when the team hired John Lynch after no indication that the Hall of Fame finalist and FOX broadcaster was a candidate for the job.
The team confirmed the hiring after the reports of their choice emerged during the Pro Bowl. 49ers CEO Jed York told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group that the team was impressed by Lynch’s “leadership and communication skills” and liked that he played for Bill Walsh in college. York also said he believes Lynch can build a “great staff,” which will be important given his lack of experience as a personnel executive.
That lack of experience didn’t stop Lynch from reportedly getting a six-year contract with the team. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Kyle Shanahan is expected to get the same term as head coach and that Lynch took his first step toward the job by reaching out to Shanahan recently to let him know he was interested in making the move to the front office.
Lynch, who played for Kyle’s father Mike Shanahan in Denver, met with York on Thursday, so the decision to make a long-term commitment appears to have materialized quickly for the 49ers.