49ers promote Peters to Lynch’s top assistant
Adam Peters didn’t get the position he was seeking this offseason, but he did get a promotion and, presumably, a pay raise.
On Friday, the 49ers announced Peters, 41, their vice president of player personnel since he joined the franchise in 2017, had been bumped to assistant general manager. Peters was one of three finalists for the Panthers’ GM opening that went to Seahawks executive Scott Fitterer last month.
Last month, Martin Mayhew, who also had the title of 49ers vice president of player personnel, was hired as Washington’s general manager.
“Adam … has been a tremendous asset to our team,” general manager John Lynch said. “And we look forward to Adam continuing to play an integral role in all aspects of football operations in our quest to compete for championships.”
Peters, who has been instrumental in the draft, has served as a top lieutenant for Lynch. In January 2017, Lynch, who had just been hired despite having no frontoffice experience, made Peters, then the Broncos’ director of college scouting, his first hire on his second day on the job without interviewing him.
Peters, an 18year NFL veteran, broke into the league at 23 as a scouting assistant with the Patriots. He owns three Super Bowl rings from his tenures with New England (200308) and Denver (200916).
Lynch and Peters first connected in 2013. Lynch, then a Fox broadcaster who was gauging his interest in a potential move to an NFL front office, spent a month observing Broncos’ draft meetings led by his close friend, John Elway, then Denver’s GM. Lynch noted how Peters’ superiors valued the input of the national scout.
“In certain rooms, you can tell when certain people are allowed to speak and Adam was one of those guys they wanted to hear from,” Lynch said in 2017. “I remember saying to John, ‘Hey, this guy’s good, huh?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah, very good.’ ”
Peters grew up in Cupertino as a diehard 49ers fan and wore jersey No. 84 at Monta Vista High and West Valley College in Saratoga as a nod to his favorite player, former 49ers tight end Brent Jones. Peters has termed working for the 49ers a “dream job,” but it’s not clear if he’ll eventually assume Lynch’s job.
Last year, Lynch signed a fiveyear extension that runs through the 2024 season. In July, Lynch was asked about saying he didn’t view himself as a “lifer” in his current job during an interview on KNBR.
“In terms of not being a lifer, I think I was just commenting — I don’t know really how long I’ll do this for,” Lynch said. “I know I’ll do it for the next five years. I’m having a blast doing it.”