John Lynch Asked 49ers to Keep His Candidacy for GM Position a Secret

New San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch had a test for his new employers, and they apparently passed it with flying colors.

The former NFL safety appeared on KNBR 680 on Wednesday and said he wanted to keep his hiring a secret.

"One of the great and liberating things for me, and I think why this thing came to fruition, I made a big deal that this stay quiet," Lynch said. "First of all, you know what I was doing? Part of the rumors are things fly out of that building. And I wanted to see if I could trust this person. And so that was part of my thinking."

Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com wrote the 49ers have become known for letting information leak in the past few years, including the firings of former head coach Chip Kelly and former general manager Trent Baalke and the status of quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Jones said he asked 49ers CEO Jed York about those concerns and wrote, "This exact leaking culture in San Francisco, and the fact that York didn't see any negative consequences with it, was a major concern to GM John Lynch, too."

Jones called Lynch's plea to keep his candidacy a secret a "litmus test" for York and 49ers vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe.

Wagoner noted Lynch said York answered all of his questions satisfactorily when he appeared on KNBR 680.

Lynch provided a glimpse at his relationship with York: "[Jed's] tired of some strife and contention in the building. He wants harmony. He wants to give us the resources. He wants to be a support mechanism. But he wants to get out of the way and let us work. To me, that's an awesome deal."

Jones said York was too close to Baalke during their time together, which hurt the football operation and didn't allow the CEO to recognize some of the general manager's mistakes. Lynch's comments suggest that won't be as much of an issue during his tenure.

Lynch will share some of the roster responsibilities with current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who Michael Silver of NFL.com previously reported will take over the head coaching duties in San Francisco after his current team plays in the Super Bowl.

Jim Trotter of ESPN reported Lynch will have final authority for the draft, free agency and the 90-man roster, but Shanahan will have the last say when forming the 53-man roster.

The relationships are now in place for Lynch—who was a nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion during his playing career—to begin a rebuild for a franchise that has five Super Bowl rings but will be working with its fourth head coach in four years in 2017.