49ers' John Lynch Talks RB Contracts amid Jonathan Taylor Rumors: 'I Have Empathy'

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has chimed in on the rough offseason running backs have had, particularly in the wake of Jonathan Taylor's situation with the Indianapolis Colts.

Speaking to reporters from training camp, Lynch compared the situation between running backs today with what he felt was happening during his playing days as a safety:

"First of all, I'd tell you I have empathy and I think I can relate to those guys. I played a position that I felt like was undervalued for a long, long time. And I had to battle through that myself. I remember the people closest to me [saying], 'You make yourself invaluable and as much versatility, as much game-changing, can this team play without you?' You have to try to make that such."

As the NFL has transitioned to becoming a passing league over the past decade, the market for safeties has significantly increased. The franchise tag value for the position in 2013 was $6.9 million, compared to $14.46 million this year.

Running backs, on the other hand, went from having a high-water mark of $12.12 million on the franchise tag in 2017 to $10.091 million this year. It's the only position that has seen a decline in value.

Taylor and the Colts have been engaged in a public back and forth about his status with the organization. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Taylor requested a trade after a meeting with Jim Irsay when the team declined to engage in talks for a contract extension.

ESPN's Stephen Holder reported on Sunday the Colts were considering placing Taylor on the non-football injury list after he reported back pain during his pre-training camp physical.

This prompted a response from Taylor on social media in which he denied having back pain or reported having back pain:

Holder noted Taylor failed his pre-camp physical "because of a combination of a previous ankle injury for which surgery was performed earlier this year and the back injury."

If the Colts did place Taylor on the non-football injury list, it would allow the team to withhold his salary until he gets activated.

Irsay told Holder it is "a certainty" they won't trade Taylor: "Not now or not in October."

The value of running backs has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks. Saquon Barkley ended his stalemate with the New York Giants by signing a one-year deal worth up to $11 million after previously teasing a holdout into the season.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs hasn't reported to training camp after failing to reach agreement on a long-term deal. The team placed the franchise tag on him in March that guarantees him $10.1 million this season.

A group of running backs held a Zoom call on July 23 to discuss the state of the position and potential ideas to make sure they are getting fair deals from teams, but no concrete ideas came up during the discussion.

Lynch played 15 seasons in the NFL from 1993 to 2007. He was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.