John Lynch's tenure as 49ers general manager has been, by all accounts, a rousing success to this point with no trouble or sticky situations to navigate.
That changed a few weeks back when running back Raheem Mostert, who burst onto the scene with four touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game, requested a trade after what his agent called "unproductive contract talks." That request shocked and upset Lynch.
"My reaction was ‘what the heck are you doing? C'mon now,'" Lynch said Tuesday on KNBR's Murph and Mac show. "I was not happy."
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Mostert believed he was entitled to a contract more "in line" with teammate Tevin Coleman. After a few weeks of negotiations in which Mostert had little leverage, the 49ers agreed to restructure his contract Monday, ending the saga.
While the matter is now squashed, Lynch admits he was not pleased with how everything played out initially.
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"What's sometimes frustrating during these -- but I was a player so I understand it -- you don't talk directly with the player, you're talking through an agent, and sometimes I think because of that there can be things lost in communication."
A new contract for Mostert had been on the 49ers' offseason to-do list, so Lynch and the 49ers were already committed to keeping their running back happy.
"That's something that we wanted to do, we had some ideas on how we could do it, unfortunately, that became public, but we weren't going to let that change our course," Lynch said. "The good news is it's all taken care of, he's happy, and we look forward to seeing him here soon."
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Next up for the 49ers and Lynch is ironing out a long-term extension for star tight end George Kittle who is entering the final year of his four-year deal he signed as a fifth-round draft pick in 2017.
While negotiations have hit some snags, Kittle and the 49ers eventually will strike a deal. Then, they can turn their attention to the 2020 season and a march back to the Super Bowl to complete their unfinished business.
How 49ers GM John Lynch reacted to Raheem Mostert's trade request originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
