San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York told the media back in early January that he wanted a partnership between his head coach and general manager. He would not commit to which role he would hire first, but it turned into, hire the coach then figure out a GM with whom he could work. John Lynch got in Kyle Shanahan’s ear, and next thing we know, Lynch and Shanahan are the pairing.
It seemed like Kyle Shanahan had the leverage to control as much of the roster as he would want. In the end, the split of duties puts the two men into a position where they will need to work together effectively.