Shanahan denies rift with Lynch, but leaks appear to be problem
A report of friction between 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch might have been overblown, but the report does appear to point to a definitive problem the franchise’s top two men haven’t had during their two-year tenure: leaks.
Since their arrival in 2017, Shanahan and Lynch have overseen an operation that has kept issues in-house, a notable contrast from past regimes. However, the Bleacher Report article, in which the ShanahanLynch dynamic was the third item in a post-draft notebook, cited anonymous “sources in the team’s scouting and coaching staff.”
Last week, Lynch addressed the topic when asked about the Raiders’ decision to send their scouts home before the draft because Oakland’s top brass feared its plans being shared.
“I can only speak for us,” Lynch said. “I’m happy to have the (scouts) around here. We rely on these guys a lot. I think you always have to be mindful of keeping information inhouse. But I really am a big believer you better have great faith in the people that are working for you and their ability to keep things in-house. If they can’t, that’s a problem.”
As far as the reported friction in their relationship, Shanahan termed it “complete bulls—” in a text to NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday.
Shanahan picked Lynch to be his GM in 2017 and they signed matching six-year contracts. They undoubtedly have had disagreements during their partnership. Shanahan is opinionated and blunt and he sought to hire Lynch, a former safety who is a Hall of Fame finalist, partly because he wouldn’t hesitate to provide a different view.
Shanahan and Lynch have continued to hang out socially this offseason and there was no sign of a change in their dynamic when they shared the stage to discuss their eight picks on three occasions last week during the NFL draft.
According to the report, the main issue is that Shanahan doesn’t trust Lynch’s decisionmaking, which has forced Shanahan to assume more of an evaluation role and to consider eventually replacing the GM: “The coach, Shanahan, wants to scheme and develop players while not being bothered with the player-evaluation process.”
In his offseasons, Shanahan has enjoyed studying video of players in his office in the lead up to free agency and the draft. And his routine hasn’t dramatically changed since he was hired. It has been a key part of a collaborative process in which Shanahan identifies players who have the traits he’s seeking, particularly when it comes to those on offense. This offseason, as has been his custom, Shanahan didn’t attend pro days with Lynch and other front-office executives, with Stanford’s nearby pro day being the lone exception.
Still, only Shanahan and Lynch fully know to what extent, if any, their union has weakened during their tenure. And if there is a notable rift in their relationship, perhaps the emergence of another similar report would serve as evidence.
If Shanahan and Lynch still have a strong partnership, they should be able to work together to plug leaks that previously didn’t exist.