49ers Promote Three Key Members of Front Office

The 49ers promoted three key members of their front office on Thursday, and John Lynch was not one of them.

Instead, the 49ers promoted Tariq Ahmad from Director of Player Personnel to Vice President, Player Personnel, they promoted RJ Gillen from Director of Player Personnel to Assistant General Manager, and they promoted Brian Hampton from Vice President, Football Administration to Assistant General Manager as well.

Which means the 49ers do not hold these men responsible for their miserable 6-11 season. Instead, these three are seen are key members of the organization's future. And if John Lynch were to retire or get fired, one of them probably would replace him.

Which brings us to Lynch. Two years ago, the 49ers promoted him from General Manager to President of Football Operations/General Manager. You'd think he would receive another promotion today along with his underlings, but he didn't. Nor did he receive a contract extension. And his contract expires after the 2026 season.

So it seems as though Lynch could be on the hot seat. His potential replacements just got promoted while he's a year away from being a lame-duck general manager. If the 49ers make the playoffs this upcoming season, he should be fine. But if they were to miss the playoffs for any reason, he might get replaced.

Maybe that's why Lynch has been doing interviews recently, reminding everyone how young the 49ers are and how they're going to take some lumps this season.

Sounds like a guy who's making excuses before the season starts just in case.