Kyle Shanahan opens up about the 49ers’ interest in Lamar Jackson

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Kyle Shanahan talks to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.

Ever since Lamar Jackson was slapped with the non-exclusive franchise tag and explicitly asked for a trade a few weeks later, one question has been debated by San Francisco 49ers fans more than any other: Should John Lynch replace the disgruntled Baltimore Ravens QB exchange? ?

When Kyle Shanahan was asked that very question by a reporter during his Tuesday, March 28 media session, he finally commented on the 49ers’ interest in Baltimore’s MVP-winning quarterback in a response that’s sure to elicit a mixed reaction from the fan base becomes.

“We have three quarterbacks that we’re pretty good with right now, and we’re pretty excited that we have a better roster in terms of salary cap,” Shanahan said.

Despite entering the offseason relatively close to the salary cap, Lynch was close to restructuring some contracts and signing one of the top players in the free agent market in no small part, as all three quarterbacks for the 49ers have a combined cap -Hit of about $14 million, which is $10 million less than former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed alone to join the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, according to Over The Cap. While the 49ers will likely agree on a quarterback to build the team long-term, it’s clear that Shanahan is comfortable with the compromise of having a full roster instead of a $40 million signal caller in the middle.

Kyle Shanahan considers having a deep “everything” roster

As Shanahan continued to discuss the 49ers’ current team-building philosophy in his time with reporters, he was asked what having a comprehensive roster means to him and gave a very detailed answer.

“It’s everything,” Shanahan said. “A couple of years ago we recognized some of the players that we had drafted, guys like Fred, guys like Kittle, guys like Deebo, guys like Bosa, Greenlaw; we knew all these guys were coming our way. You can’t keep all these guys if you don’t have a quarterback on a rookie deal. So we’ve seen where this is going. We picked the rookie quarterback a few years ago, and that was Trey. And that allowed us to sign all these guys.”

As the 49ers witnessed firsthand when they faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, an elite quarterback with a rookie contract allows a team to expand its roster with top-notch players in key positions like cornerback, wide receiver, and in the trenches . While the dynamic trio of Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold doesn’t live up to Hurts’ level of play, Shanahan’s play-calling coupled with a very quarterback-friendly system should yield similar results, especially since the team owns the philosophy on board.

Jed York backs San Francisco 49ers plan

In the NFL, developing a finely-tuned team-building strategy is important, but only if the team’s ownership group is okay with the idea. Luckily for Lynch and Shanahan, 49ers owner Jed York also believes building a strong roster is the key to succeeding with a rookie quarterback, rather than paying eight figures for a player unable to do so to move the needle.

“We wanted to be able to have a young quarterback with a rookie contract that you can say, alright, Javon is kind of a bonus,” York said of The Athletic. “There’s a delta between what you spend on your quarterback and what everyone spends on their quarterback. And I hope one of these guys gets a massive extension with the San Francisco 49ers at some point. But until then, we’re going to make sure we build this thing around a young quarterback with a very team-friendly contact.”

Will Purdy, Lance or Darnold ever get a prime contract with the 49ers? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, everyone involved seems to agree with San Francisco’s current team-building philosophy, and in March that’s all that really matters.