Lynch: 49ers may not find starting quarterback this year
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan may be new to their roles, but they don't need help figuring out which position is the most important to fill.
The 49ers are expected to let quarterback Colin Kaepernick exercise his player option and test free agency in March. Once Kaepernick departs, the Niners won't have any quarterbacks on their roster, giving Lynch and Shanahan a big task in their quest to make the team successful.
And while they'll go down every avenue to find their next signal-caller as soon as possible, they won't limit themselves to just this offseason's crop.
"The answer for us is that Kyle and I are going to get together, and we've already discussed it, but we're gonna get together and find out exactly what he's looking for in a quarterback," Lynch told KNBR radio, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "And then we're gonna evaluate the guys we have, we're gonna evaluate the draft, and we're going to look hard at free agency, trades, whatever we need to do to get a guy. And it may not be this year.
"It may be that we draft and develop. We're looking at every scenario, but we're both big believers, and I don't think this is anything revolutionary, everyone knows how important that position is; but we certainly place a huge emphasis on it and we're gonna work hard to get that right."
While the 49ers hold the second overall pick, Lynch has admitted it would be difficult for a rookie to pick up Shanahan's playbook.
"You get in Kyle Shanahan's system and you've got 15-word plays," Lynch said. "And the coach is in your ear but you still have to replicate that with confidence and authority. And so it's a big challenge for this entire league ...
"It's just the reality, these (college) guys are playing a different style of football."
If they spend their top pick on a quarterback, they'd likely bring in a veteran to shoulder the load. Atlanta Falcons backup Matt Schaub has been rumored to potentially follow Shanahan to San Francisco.