49ers Make Surprise Hire of John Lynch as General Manager

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have hired former NFL safety and Fox broadcaster John Lynch to be their general manager.

After a lengthy search that included interviews with nine other publicly identified candidates, team CEO Jed York settled on a mystery candidate when he gave the job to Lynch on Sunday. ESPN first reported the deal, saying Lynch had gotten a six-year contract.

After playing for former Niners coach Bill Walsh in college at Stanford, Lynch went on to have a stellar 15-year career with Tampa Bay and Denver that included three All-Pro selections and one Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers. He’s a finalist this year for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Since retiring in 2008, Lynch has been an analyst at Fox.