One football-less week out of the way, Niner fans, and the combine is coming up, too! So what’s new in San Francisco, and what might come next? Let’s examine ...

My Hottest Take: The 49ers made a key hire hardly anyone noticed

Coming off the (Porter-approved) hire of Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, the 49ers added to their defensive assistant ranks with the hiring of long-time defensive backs coach Jerry Gray last week. He seems to be a likely replacement for Daniel Bullocks, who joined the Green Bay coaching staff under their new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon. The 49ers had previously attempted to interview Justin Hood at the Falcons (Morris’s old team, where he’d been head coach), but were blocked.

Gray, however, seems like a pretty good "consolation prize" and possibly a better hire overall. He’s a coaching lifer, and in most stops, both the defensive backs and passing defense have improved markedly under his tutelage. This feels akin to Ray Rhodes teaming up with George Seifert, to me, and while the 49ers pass defense wasn’t exactly a glaring issue this season, all parties will be well served by a changing of the guard–Deommodore Lenoir stagnated after signing his new contract, while his partner in the starting lineup, Renardo Green also had a bumpy sophomore season.

Most of what I’m looking for from the defense this year is fresh ideas–I’ve been pretty vocal about not being a huge Robert Saleh fan, and most of last season's excitement seemed to me to be based around stale ideas, albeit they did still work relatively well. However, I’ve often had issues with Saleh’s inflexibility, lack of innovation, and lack of development of youngsters, particularly in the defensive back region. Bringing on a force like Gray should really help, and I feel like Morris will add some schematic wrinkles that might actually make us interesting to watch, not just "Cover 3 version 90323952395," that we’ve been running since 2017.

The 49ers have always been at their best when they innovate and push young players to be the best. These hires feel like good portends to the same things happening in the future. What the 49ers front office needs now is to replenish those stocks, particularly in the defensive back room, with fresh talent. Another year of mediocrity from the likes of Ji’Ayir Brown and Darrell Luter will not cut it for 2026.

You Should Know: Some bizarre GM rumors are floating around

I’m not quite sure where this story has taken on a life of its own, but it seems to have stemmed from the radio and Youtube appearances ofSan Jose Mercury Newswriter Dieter Kurtenbach; the 49ers are reputedly looking for a top football executive to fill a prominent role in the organisation, possibly that of general manager.

Of course, John Lynch is currently GM, and he’s under contract for a while. The reputed move would see Lynch move "upstairs," likely into the type of role that has a title that American sports fans just love (Executive Vice President of Football Operations, for instance), with the GM working "under" him, although presumably that person would have roster responsibility and the all-important "final say," otherwise it’d be pretty difficult to hire anyone that organisations wouldn’t block.

Is this possible? The easiest answer is maybe. In all honesty, I don’t believe John Lynch holds a ton of decision-making power with the 49ers–I believe he may sign off on draft picks, free agents, and possibly take a lead role in trades, but I think his role is almost the same as it was when he was hired in 2017–to bring credibility and an intelligent, articulate voice to the top of the organisation. Lynch is also known to have turned down color commentary deals, most notably from Amazon, to stay with the 49ers, so it’s possible this is some posturing for a better title, more money, and maybe even a lighter workload.

Some future-proofing would probably be prudent, since Lynch is unlikely to go on forever, and as such, I believe top lieutenants, like Josh Williams (director of scouting), or previously Adam Peters and Martin Mayhew (both of whom moved on to be General Managers elsewhere), give plenty of on-the-ground input and information. Ironically, some of these guys have struggled elsewhere when actually titled with the top job. Adam Peters had some early success, but could already be on the hotseat in Washington following 2025’s significant backward step, while Ran Carthon, Mayhew and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah already lost their post-49ers roles.

That hasn’t stopped many current 49ers officials, especially Williams, drawing GM interest as well. Perhaps one of them gets an internal promotion, or possibly an outside voice comes in. I know some 49ers fans would love that, as Lynch’s drafting (in so much as its down to him, because, well, say above) has taken some stinging–and in my view, ridiculous–criticism.

We’ll take a look at Lynch’s record next week, and we might have a little more information about whatever this story is too, since Lynch will speak at the NFL Combine on Tuesday. Let’s see if this story lasts another week.

Before You Go: Don’t expect a bonanza in free agency

We’ll look into this more as the new league year approaches, but I’d urge 49ers fans, if you value your mental health at all, to dial back on free agency expectations. While the team has a healthy amount of cap space (hovering around $41 million), free agency has rarely been their friend, and that’s unlikely to change this offseason. I still hold out hope for Tyler Linderbaum sporting a Niners jersey come mid-March, but I’d expect any big signings to be slightly more understated names.

One place I wouldn’t expect the 49ers to spend money? Wide receiver, at least not for the so-called upper echelon guys. Recent insane deals in the receiver market have driven the price for even mediocre receivers to new heights, and I just don’t see the 49ers getting involved at those levels, including for their own guys like Jauan Jennings, something I touched on last week. More likely is that the Kendrick Bourne types are re-signed on sensible deals, and the 49ers keep hoping for development from Ricky Pearsall, possibly adding another weapon or two in the draft.

But we’ll look at that a bit more next week, along with John Lynch’s draft history. For now, enjoy the underwear Olympics, and see you soon!