Working together in mind, body, and spirit while developing their own unique brand of football pedigree, two newcomers constructed an NFL powerhouse from rubble in the short span of three years and have transformed the 49ers from a downtrodden franchise into a foremost championship contender that has swiftly risen among the elite and envy of the league.
Yes, that John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan partnership is a winning combination.
Just like both football lifers and the organization that hired them promised they’d be.
Just like the organization that recently extended both their contracts far into the 2020s expect them to be for numerous seasons to come.
“We said here on Day 1, we’re going to put together a roster that’ll make you proud and that will compete for championships,” Lynch said in early August as the 49ers launched into training camp workouts during a summer without exhibition games. “I think we’re there.”
Let there be no doubt about that. The 49ers will enter the 2020 season as defending NFC champions, coming off one of the most spectacular and memorable seasons in the 75-year history of the franchise.
And so, feeling fortunate to have the 48-year old Lynch and 40-year-old Shanahan as the youthful, vibrant, and radiant guiding lights of their franchise, the 49ers signed the upstart general manager and upstart head coach to lengthy and lucrative contract extensions a month apart earlier this summer.
Except that neither are upstarts anymore. “It took some time for the brain trust to re
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
