The Denver Broncos will bring two familiar faces to Levi's Stadium on Sunday, and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch says losing them was not easy.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga and right tackle Mike McGlinchey both began their careers with the 49ers. Both left for Denver in free agency, and Lynch discussed those decisions Thursday during a radio interview with KBNR ahead of the Week 4 matchup.
Hufanga, a fifth-round pick in 2021, has been a playmaker for the Broncos. Last week alone, the safety recorded five tackles and a sack, and he added two game-changing interceptions in a win over Los Angeles. He returned one for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, then sealed the Broncos' win in the final seconds with the other. Hufanga played
49 games with 37 starts over four seasons with the 49ers, including first-team All-Pro honors in 2022 before he signed with the Broncos in 2024.
"We had to make tough decisions that year," Lynch said. "We had pushed the limits fairly good. We knew we were going to lose some guys defensively. It was never easy. That was one of the tougher ones on [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and I."
McGlinchey, the ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft, left in free agency in 2023. Lynch said the team felt "very convicted" about the pick, remembering meeting him at the combine. But McGlinchey was set to earn a big contract, and the 49ers had also drafted Colton McKivitz, who they believed would improve with regular playing time.
"And so again, Mike had been injured a little bit at one point. It was kind of this decision like, 'Okay, where do we want to put all our resources?' Lynch said. "Mike was one of the guys… one of the coolest players we've ever had the chance to be around. He's playing at a really high level. Happy for he and his family. Thought he played good ball for us, and sometimes things just work out like that. But I wouldn't have changed picking him where we picked him way back then."
Both Hufanga and McGlinchey are high-value players for the Broncos on either side of the ball, and now their former teammates will have to line up against them in one of the biggest games of the season. A win for the 49ers secures their spot at the top of the NFC West, while a loss opens up the door for the Seahawks to retake the divisional lead.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: John Lynch explains why 2 former 49ers draft picks left team
