49ers GM John Lynch: “I haven’t even talked to Jimmy yet.”

John Lynch knows the same thing we all know about Jimmy Garoppolo needing surgery on this throwing shoulder.

Speaking on day two of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Lynch was asked about the quarterbacks throwing shoulder and if the need for surgery has impacted anything in terms of a trade.

“Yeah, so his situation, he injured his shoulder in the Dallas playoff game. And I think, ironically, protecting his thumb, trying not to land on his thumb. So, he landed on his shoulder,” said Lynch. “It was one of those injuries where the recommendation from multiple doctors was let’s try rehab first and see if the pain and some of the other symptoms go away. And that was the hope obviously, but that wasn’t the case as time went on. And I think in the last couple of days, he had another visit where the decision was made to go ahead and have that surgery. Anytime you have surgery, it’s not a minor deal. Anytime it’s the throwing shoulder, I understand the significance, but it is described as minor surgery and Jimmy is going to be fine.

“As for the trade, Jimmy’s a part of us right now. A lot of people need or want quarterbacks right now and he’s obviously a guy they’d look at. So, yes, we have listened, but he’s a part of us and he’s going to work diligently to get back from this surgery. It’s just preliminary, I haven’t even talked to Jimmy yet. But it sounds like that’s the decision right now to go ahead and have that. And you guys know the same thing I know, which is that he can return to throwing late June, early July and the prognosis is really good. So that’s all good stuff.”

Lynch was asked if there is any concern about Garoppolo’s health situation being up in the air. 

“I don’t think so. There’s always plan A, plan B, plan C and we plan for all of that accordingly. Jimmy, he’s a big part of what we’ve done and like I said, he’s still a part of us,” responded Lynch. “And until that changes, we feel blessed that he is. And so right now when we’re talking about his shoulder, I’m worried about that for the Niners and for Jimmy. As far as anything else, like I said, we have had some discussions with teams and we’ll continue to, but as of right now, he’s a part of us.”

Update on Mike McGlinchey

Starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey suffered a torn quad injury during the 49ers week nine loss to the Arizona Cardinals. 

Lynch was asked to provide an update on McGlinchey’s progress toward returning to the lineup.

“Mike’s doing well. He had a significant surgery to repair that quad tendon, but just as Mike has always done, he attacks everything 100 percent and his rehab is going really well,” Lynch told reporters. “We’re pleased with his progress. We’re going to give him the time he needs, so not only that he gets back, but he gets back and is pain free and can play like we believe he is capable of playing.”

Extensions for Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel

Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel were the two most important members of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. 

Both struggled through injuries in 2020. Bosa was lost for the season following an ACL injury in week two and Samuel was in and out of the lineup due to a variety of issues.

Bosa rebounded this season, recording a career-high 15.5 quarterback sacks. On the other side of the ball, Samuel posted 1,770 yards from scrimmage, second only to Jerry Rice all-time in franchise history.=

The top two players chosen by San Francisco in the 2019 draft, both are set to receive lucrative extensions soon. Lynch was asked about his confidence in both getting done this offseason.

“Well, it’ll certainly be a challenge as good of players as those guys are. But I do know this, those guys are, in my mind, no absolutes, but those guys are going to be 49ers. They’re foundational to what we do on the field,” stated Lynch. “Their play is special, and off the field, in their own way, they’ve each become really big-time leaders for our team. They make their teammates better and we realize all that value and two special players are good issue to have.

“And we do have good communication and good relationships with both their representatives as well as both the players. I think what I’ve learned in my going-on six years in this business is when both sides have the motivation, deals can get done. So the timing, I have no idea, but we’ll go to work here and have been working to try to do something.”

Young running backs.

San Francisco drafted two running backs in 2021, Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell. 

It was a tale of two seasons for the rookies. Mitchell set a new franchise record, his 963 yards rushing eclipsing the mark previously set by Vic Washington.

Meanwhile, Sermon struggled to get onto the field, finishing with only 41 carries on the season. 

Lynch was asked about what happened with Sermon and what the 49ers think about Mitchell moving forward.

“Yeah, Elijah came in and had an unbelievable year and we call him Draino because he always finds the right gap. It’s kind of like putting the Draino down the drain and it just finds it. That’s what we call him because of his natural run instincts. He showed a ton of toughness because he battled some,” said Lynch. They weren’t significant, I guess they’re always significant injuries, but things that he could play through and he did. He kept showing up and the kid is going to be a really good football player.

“We believe the same for Trey. Trey, I think, had to make an adjustment to how you run in the NFL. And I think that’s natural for rookies and got in a situation where Elijah was playing a lot as the season evolved, Deebo became a big part of what we were doing. We also had [RB] Jeff Wilson [Jr.] once he got healthy and [RB] Raheem [Mostert] at the start, so it was a crowded room. But Trey is someone we’re really excited about, as we are with Elijah and we like our depth in that room and it’s not bad to be able to turn to Deebo when you need a play or two, so.”

Coaches staying in Santa Clara.

Due to significant turnover on the coaching staff, Kyle Shanahan will not be attending the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis for the first time since taking over in 2017.

While Lynch and the rest of the 49ers front office and scouts are in Indianapolis, Shanahan and the coaching staff will be using this time to do some scheme work according to Lynch.

This doesn’t mean the coaching staff won’t be involved in meetings with prospects.

“The great thing about what we’ve learned over the last couple years is when we’re interviewing players, those respective coaches and coordinators and Kyle will get on the zooms,” according to Lynch. “And so even though they aren’t here, they are here and we talk every night and we talk every morning, so communication is good.”

Lynch also passed along one additional piece of information regarding the 49ers coaching staff. Bobby Turner is expected to be back with the 49ers in 2023 after finishing rehab for two procedures.