Jed York on Lynch hiring: We're OK with doing something different

The San Francisco 49ers naming John Lynch their next general manager Sunday was a shocking move met with the appropriate amount of confusion in the football community.

Lynch's football acumen has never been questioned, but after spending the entirety of his post-playing career in the broadcast booth, it was fair to wonder whether he was ready for such a prominent front-office role.

Jed York understands those reservations. Confident in the potential payoff of having Lynch paired with soon-to-be head coach Kyle Shanahan, though, the 49ers CEO is more than willing to take the risk.

"Nothing is guaranteed," York told Peter King of The MMQB on Sunday night. "But so many opportunities are missed in the NFL because people don't want to do something different. We're okay with that, because I am confident in Kyle and John. John has watched John Elway, and how he's built a team in Denver.

"As easy as it is to say he hasn’t built a team yet - I get that - I talk to Kyle, and he says John is the most prepared of all the TV (people) he meets in the production meetings before games. We understand we'll have to live with growing pains, but I'm willing to do that because I believe the upside with both of them is so great."

Lynch will almost certainly have to bring in some experienced personnel executives to help him make the difficult transition, so the reconstruction of the management staff is likely only getting started.

As risky as it may be handing the keys to a former player that hasn't worked his was up the ladder, perhaps York, Shanahan, and the rest of the organization know something the rest of the NFL doesn't.

Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowler who spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos during a 15-year career, is a Hall of Fame finalist for the fourth consecutive year.