Although 49ers general manager John Lynch will assume control of the club’s draft, free agent, and 90-man roster decisions, presumptive head coach Kyle Shanahan will have final say over San Francisco’s 53-man roster, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
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Such a delineation of power is rather unique in the NFL, but Trotter notes (Twitter link) that at least six other teams use a similar structure. The Falcons — who currently employ Shanahan — utilize the same setup, as general manager Thomas Dimitroff heads up Atlanta’s draft and free agency plans, while head coach Dan Quinn is in charge of the club’s 53-man squad.
All in all, San Francisco’s front office management figures to be a collaborative effort, as Lynch is expected to bring in more executives even after hiring former Broncos staffer Adam Peters as vice president of player personnel. Assistant general manager Tom Gamble could be given the opportunity to stay on board with the 49ers, while ex-general managers Mark Dominik (Buccaneers) and Martin Mayhew (Lions) may also be in the running for a position with the club.
Lynch maintains that he will “aggressively pursue” additional front office hires, but former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan won’t be among those joining the 49ers. While Lynch is open to advice from the longtime NFL head coach, Shanahan won’t be joining his son in San Francisco, at least in an official capacity.
I think Lynch is going to build a string group of people around him in the 9ers front office. I am very excited about the future of this team for the first time since I realized how good of a coach we had in Harbaugh. Still can’t believe how that ended but I finally think we are back in track. I know we have a ways to go but I think we are on the right track. I’m stoked for Kyle to take over as HC and I think he will do a good job. I’ve said this before and I still feel this way, I am worried about having such a late start on putting together a coaching staff and I wonder if we will have to wait until next offseason for Shanahan to put together the staff he truly wants. Maybe I am wrong though, maybe we will still be able to put together a decent staff. We will see I guess. I’m curious to see who we have at QB next offseason. I think they should bring back Ponder as a backup to whoever is under center. I know we have some good draft picks and a lot of money to spend which could end and should end up being even more money to spend once Kaep opts out but I don’t think they’ll be able to turn this thing around in a season. I think it’ll take a couple seasons but I do think they’ll be able to get it done.
I feel coaches should have a final say over the final roster. Its the coach who has to decide who best fits the system and who will actually play. Makes more sense than to have a GM force a coach to keep a guy or two on the roster even though they will likely never play. There should be good communication between coach and GM about who should make the final roster, but I have no problems with the coach actually making the final decision.
I agree and essentially every team that struggles on the field also has a power struggle going on behind the scenes between the FO and the head coach