CHAMPIONSHIP PARTNERSHIP

49ers extend winning combination into future

- Craig Massei

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