John Lynch said last month the 49ers would be “aggressively prudent” when it came to adding to the team in free agency. Making plays for the best players available seemed logical given the team’s ocean of cap space and chances at competing for a playoff spot in 2018.
But Lynch struck a different tune Monday when the legal negotiating period opened, according to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, who said Lynch might not be as aggressive in courting top free agents as many expect.
“In speaking to John Lynch, he made it sound like – and remember, the Niners have a boat load of money under the salary cap to pursue free agents – that they are not going to go after any of what Lynch liked to say, the ‘splash names,’” Wyche said on NFL Network.
“Maybe that includes (Allen) Robinson, just not sure. But they’re going to try to build this roster with seemingly some more marginal-type of free agents.”
What to take away from Wyche’s report is anybody’s guess. The 49ers might not be willing to spend to get Robinson, the 24-year-old Jaguars wideout, because they have an already-capable receiving trio of Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor. The team is also reportedly considering top guard Andrew Norwell of the Panthers, who would be one of those “splash” players Lynch mentioned.
Maybe Lynch was keeping his cards close to the chest. If he said the opposite, indicating the 49ers were pushing hard for the biggest names, that presumably could drive up the competition and price on those targets.
NFL executives are difficult to read when it comes to ongoing negotiations. Was Lynch being overly honest or coy? It lowers expectations if he says the team isn’t going after the top names. The inverse is raising expectations and failing to get those players – then looking bad in the process.
We won’t know the veracity of Lynch’s comment until all the best free agents officially put pen to paper, which can’t begin until Wednesday afternoon.
About the Author: Insidethe49
