John Lynch is one of the elite few who had both a storied Hall of Fame NFL career and is also knocking it out of the park as a front office executive in his post-playing career. Today, we break down the highlights of Lynch’s incredible NFL journey, from star safety to San Francisco 49ers general manager.
Taking a Look at John Lynch’s Career
Lynch had a legendary career as one of the game’s most feared defensive players. And he’s well on his way to establishing himself as a top-tier executive too. From Tampa Bay to San Francisco, Lynch has achieved greatness from coast to coast.
Lynch’s Draft Experience
Lynch has one of the best NFL draft stories you’ll ever read. A two-sport athlete at Stanford University, Lynch excelled both in football and baseball. Prior to the 1993 NFL Draft, he was selected in the second round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins as one of the top pitching prospects in the nation.
Widely viewed as one of the top safety prospects in the draft, the possibility of Lynch committing to baseball over football impacted his draft stock. As Lynch himself has recounted, he received a call from the Green Bay Packers as the first round was winding down, and though he affirmed his commitment to football, the Packers ultimately selected safety George Teague 29th overall.
Lynch’s collegiate head coach, the legendary Bill Walsh, called then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Sam Wyche to advocate on Lynch’s behalf, asserting that the star Stanford safety was absolutely committed to pursuing a football career. Lynch has mentioned that he even had to get on the phone with then-Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse, who previously had a tough experience with a dual-sport star athlete in Bo Jackson.
Of course, Walsh and Lynch were eventually able to assuage Tampa Bay’s concerns, and the team selected him in the third round with the 82nd pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
What Teams Did John Lynch Play For?
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-2003)
- Denver Broncos (2004-2007)
- New England Patriots (2008)
Offseason only
Lynch was the epitome of consistency during his playing career, compiling 15 seasons in the NFL and maintaining his status as one of the game’s top safeties nearly the entire time, though it took a few years for his career to really take off.
In his rookie season, Lynch appeared in 15 games, starting four, and recorded 10 tackles and one forced fumble. He played mostly on special teams and as a rotational defender in his second season. Lynch made his strongest impression in his first start of the 1995 season when he broke out with 11 combined tackles, two pass defenses, and two interceptions on Minnesota Vikings QB Warren Moon.
Lynch only played in nine games due to injury that year and finished the season with 38 tackles and three picks. But Lynch was now well on his way to establishing himself as one of the game’s premier playmakers.
Starting in his fourth season in 1996, Lynch began a streak of starting at least 14 games every year for the next decade, a run that would continue until his final season in the NFL.
As the Bucs’ starting strong safety, Lynch garnered a reputation as one of the league’s hardest hitters. In his fourth season, he compiled a whopping 100 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. Lynch was constantly around the football, and his bone-shattering hits could be heard from the nosebleed section of every stadium in which he graced the gridiron.
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As it was affectionately described on NFL Network’s A Football Life series, “[the] sound of a John Lynch hit ‘was like a sledgehammer hitting a piece of wood.’”
Over the course of his career, Lynch forced 16 fumbles, a high number for a safety and a testament to just how difficult it was to hold onto the football when walloped by a Lynch hit.
In 2002, Lynch secured his first and only Super Bowl victory, helping lead the Buccaneers to a lopsided 48-21 rout over the Oakland Raiders. Two offseasons later, despite his offer to take a pay cut, Lynch and the Bucs parted ways due to salary cap constraints.
He was widely courted on the open market. Lynch received interest from the high-flying New England Patriots and the New York Jets, but he ultimately signed a three-year, $9 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
Lynch had some of his best years in Denver, recording career highs in sacks (four) and forced fumbles (four) in his second season with the team. He started 47 of 48 possible games in each of his first three seasons and was a team captain in 2006 and 2007, his final two years with the team.
Lynch was selected to the Pro Bowl in all four of his seasons with the Broncos.
After being granted his release, which he requested due to a lack of playing time, Lynch was once again on the open market. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Patriots but was released during final roster cuts.
When Did Lynch Retire?
A few months following his release from New England, in November 2008, Lynch announced his retirement from the NFL to great fanfare from former teammates and coaches.
“John was one of the most intense players I have ever played with,” cornerback Champ Bailey said. “It was an honor and a pleasure to play four years with John Lynch. I learned a lot from him.”
Former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan called Lynch, “everything you’d want in a player,” saying, “[he] set an example on how to be a pro.”
At the close of his playing career, Lynch was a Super Bowl champion, two-time first-team All-Pro, two-time second-team All-Pro, and nine-time Pro Bowler. He’s since been named to both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor and the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. In 2021, he donned the gold jacket and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
How Did Lynch Become GM of the San Francisco 49ers?
Lynch immediately jumped into broadcasting following his retirement from the NFL. He joined FOX as a color commentator, paired with Kevin Burkhardt and Chris Rose.
The former superstar defender called games with FOX for nearly a decade before exploring opportunities to get back into the league. When Kyle Shanahan, son of Lynch’s former coach Mike, was hired as the 49ers’ head coach in 2017, Lynch reached out with regards to the team’s then-vacant general manager position.
While the move was seen as questionable at the time, CEO Jed York signed off on the pairing, setting forth the trajectory for the team’s next five-plus years.
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Though Lynch and Shanahan have endured a few down seasons since 2017, San Francisco has largely been successful, and the rebuild that Lynch oversaw has yielded one of the deepest and most talented rosters in recent memory.
Some of Lynch’s hallmark draft picks include TE George Kittle, LBs Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, OT Mike McGlinchey, WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, EDGE Nick Bosa, and QB Brock Purdy.
And, of course, Lynch has also been instrumental in courting top-tier talent through free agency and trades that have put the team over the top, including all-world talents OT Trent Williams and RB Christian McCaffrey.
In 2019, Lynch was named Pro Football Writers of America’s Executive of the Year for his effort in spearheading the 49ers’ rebuild.
John Lynch’s Net Worth
While Lynch’s exact net worth is not public, the stud safety accumulated just over $33 million in contract earnings over his 15 seasons in the NFL.
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He signed his initial contract to become the 49ers’ general manager in 2017 and agreed to an extension with the team in 2020. Though the exact terms are not public, some reports have speculated that his current contract is worth around $5 million per season and that Lynch turned down a substantially larger sum from an offer to join Amazon as a broadcaster when the company secured the rights to Thursday Night Football.