Deebo Samuel‘s departure from the San Francisco 49ers was expected, as the player had expressed his desire for a change of scenery. Ultimately, his destination will be the Washington Commanders, led by Jayden Daniels. But this doesn’t end here, as Brock Purdy could lose another key piece of his offense heading into the 2025 NFL season.
While the NFL Combine is underway, 49ers GM John Lynch spoke with the press and, when asked about a potential trade involving talented wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, he didn’t confirm his departure but stated that the team is aiming for a younger roster across all departments.
“That typically happens with really good players,” Lynch said, via SI.com. “I remember two years ago having similar conversations. You get calls and you always listen to calls. Since (head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) and I have been here, we’ve been the No. 2 cash-spending team. In the last four years, we’re the fourth-highest cash-spending team. So at some point, you have to reset a little bit, or at least recalibrate. You can’t just keep pressing the pedal.
“I think there’s some good that can come out of that. We need to get younger. I think we’re the oldest team in football after trying to make a run last year. I think it’s good to constantly get younger. Our draft class last year was a great move toward that. We’ll have four picks in the top 100. If the comp picks happen like we see it, we’ll have 10 picks overall. We’re excited about adding more youth to the great core of players we already have.”
Quarterback Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
Brandon Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension during the previous offseason, but unfortunately his 2024 season was cut short by a torn ACL, The 26-year-old had been San Francisco’s leading receiver in the two seasons before his unfortunate injury in 2024.
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NFL News: Commanders make blockbuster trade to provide Jayden Daniels with a standout wide receiver
Lynch is satisfied with his offensive tackles
These are key moments in the NFL, as most franchises begin shaping their rosters for the upcoming season. However, for John Lynch, GM of the 49ers, if there’s one position he’s extremely satisfied with and doesn’t see the need to reinforce, it’s the offensive tackles.
“I think there’s some talent there,” 49ers GM John Lynch said this week to the press. “A lot of different flavors. Some really big guys, good movers, some guys that you could draft as a tackle but play at guard early in their career. That type of thing. That’s what you look for, that versatility, and I think they have that in this class.”
San Francisco has shown great talent in this department, to the point where they haven’t selected an offensive tackle in the drafts since 2021. It will be a matter of waiting until late April, when they make their next pick, to see which direction they lean toward.
GM interviews at the Combine
An important aspect when deciding on a player in the draft is the human factor of potential prospects. Through the meetings, the members of the San Francisco 49ers can draw important conclusions, especially general manager John Lynch.
“You have kind of a set way of doing it,” Lynch said to the press. “This year, there was a lot of talk about whether our coach was going to be here or not. We made a decision, Kyle made a decision that for his staff, the time would best be spent at home.
“We have those guys on zoom. We’re in the room. You get to know any pertinent questions. We like to get them on the film. I think you get to know these guys a lot, their personalities, you get to hear their recall, you get to hear their football bandwidth. Tell us about what the other team was doing. Tell us about that player you were playing against. What did you learn in your studies that week? You learn a lot about guys through that.
“We have some fun. We try to get them laughing and loose because these guys, as you can imagine, they’re nervous. A lot of them are sweating. So you try to break the ice. It’s fun. You do different things with different people.“
