The San Francisco 49ers’ owner has changed quite a bit since hiring Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
During the NFL Annual League Meeting, York made time for the media and mentioned having seen an interview between NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Why the hell is he [Shanahan] talking about Christian Kirk?” York said. “I mean, is this tampering? I had no idea that we signed Christian Kirk.”
That’s right, Jed York, the man who writes the paychecks for Kyle Shanahan
and John Lynch, never got the memo that those two signed the wide receiver in free agency. York went on to explain the trust he had in the 49ers’ front office with these decisions.
“I can’t spend 100 percent of my time on the 49ers,” York said, listing other endeavors such as the Leeds United Football Club that he is involved with.
This is a much different Jed York than the 2014-2016 era. The issue with York during the Jim Harbaugh years was his meddling. Lots and lots of meddling. After Harbaugh and the 49ers “mutually parted ways”, in came Jim Tomsula, followed by Chip Kelly. Kyle Shanahan was the third coach after Harbaugh in just as many years and he’s now one of the longest tenured in the league.
That was the concern: could York let Lynch and Shanahan run the football team and stay out of the way? Harbaugh, Tomsula, and Kelly all had York’s fingerprints. Well, if the above is any indication, that’s pretty much what he’s doing.
And naturally, a response like that has some saying York’s involvement, or lack thereof, is unbecoming of an NFL owner. You can identify who has been following this team for a while based on their reactions to York’s latest interview. Those who remember when York was much more hands-on with the operation are probably happy to hear he’s ceding control to his football people. Perhaps those who weren’t here during the dark times are wondering why an owner isn’t as fully committed as other owners, such as Jerry Jones. Or maybe they have short memories.
Hey, it’s a good point, but let’s be honest: Jed York should not be 100 percent involved with his football team, period. We’ve seen what that leads to. This is a guy who frustrated fans combined their money to fly banners over Levi’s Stadium asking for his dismissal. A sale might not happen, but 49ers Enterprises keeping him busy with other projects is the next best thing.
Those also calling for Kyle Shanahan’s job after—who knows what— will be disappointed to know in that same interview, York wants Shanahan and Lynch to be with the 49ers a “long time.” That doesn’t sound like hyperbole if he’s admitting earlier he wasn’t briefed on some money decisions made.
And if you wanted that scenario, my simple rebuttal has been: “Give me an alternative.” Look back to the drama surrounding Harbaugh’s final season, the head-scratching decision to hire Tomsula, and then the infuriating one to hire Kelly. Yes, former 49ers general manager Trent Baalke shoulders most of the blame in those hires, but York was more hands-on at that time than he is now.
York has grown as an owner. He’s learned to trust his front office to make football decisions without him in the room. That’s probably why Shanahan and Lynch are still around, where others have been shown the door. It’s also why the drama with the 49ers has centered on the contracts, not the ownership and scouting departments. Jed York’s surprise at the Kirk signing should be a relief, not a concern.
What do you want him to be? A meddling owner involved with everything, a revolving door of head coaches, and sub-10-win seasons consistently?
Hopefully, no one wants to go back to that.
