John Lynch on offseason surgeries, Brandon Aiyuk rumors and more at NFL meeting

Mar 25, 2024, 12:38 PM

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 27: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 27, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

BY JOSEPH JAROSZ

Former Editor

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch covered an array of topics Monday when he met with reporters at the NFL Owner’s meeting.

Discussions with Brandon Aiyuk

As soon as a reporter started asking about 49ers receiver and Rocklin-native Brandon Aiyuk, John Lynch quickly interrupted the question with multiple nos. Lynch is not interested in trading their star receiver.

Rumors have circulated throughout the offseason that the wideout could be on the move out of San Francisco. But the 49ers GM promised the media that “nothing’s going on there.”

What he did confirm is the team and player have had active conversations about a contract extension. Aiyuk is entering the fifth year of his contract, which could pay him just over $14 million if he agrees to play without an extension.

“We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality,” Lynch said. “There’s nothing better than drafting a guy, developing a guy, watching him flourish and then rewarding him. That’s really what we love to do.”

49ers players recovering from injuries and surgeries

Tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward underwent successful core muscle surgery. John Lynch told reporters that both players are expected to be fully cleared by training camp.

Ward previously hinted at surgery earlier this offseason but didn’t clarify why he went under the knife.

“I’ve had that surgery myself when I was playing, and it’s a pretty high success rate of healing and it feels a lot better once you get it done because it hurts constantly having that core tugging at you. So those guys both got that fixed,” Lynch told reporters.

Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in his right knee in Week 11 and Lynch said “he’s rehabbing extremely well.”

Lynch also noted that linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII, is hoping to return by Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

“I don’t put anything past Dre, but we have to be smart, maybe a PUP [physically unable to perform] situation,” Lynch added.

Clerical error results in draft pick forfeiture

Earlier this month, the NFL docked the San Francisco 49ers a 2025 fifth-round draft pick. The team also forfeited a better position in the fourth round in the 2024 draft for an accounting mistake that impacted salary-cap projections. Lynch provided more context on what happened, saying the team overpaid a player by $75,000 in the COVID-era, and instead of reporting the error to the NFL, they tried to correct it themselves.

“I have a difference of opinion on the severity of the discipline,” Lynch said, adding they take accountability for what happened. “You hate to see a fifth round next year [forfeited], the fifth round has been good to us, but that’s what the league decided to impose and so we accept it and move forward.”