John Lynch Says the Deebo Samuel Mess Hasn’t Put a Cloud Over the 49ers’ Locker Room

Wrong answer.

When other players in the 49ers locker room see the trouble Deebo Samuel has had getting a contract extension, what will they think when it's their turn?

I asked John Lynch that question at his pre-draft press conference. Here's what he said.

"I think our track record's actually excellent," Lynch said. "When you look at players, every player that's come here, the fact that we've never had a significant holdout since we've been here, I think speaks to that. We don't plan on doing that moving forward. So, I'm real proud of our track record there, and our players know that. I think there's really good lines of communication. When you play well here, you're rewarded, for the most part."

For the most part. As in, not if your name is DeForest Buckner or Deebo Samuel. They're the other part. From now on, every star player the 49ers draft has to wonder if he's part of the other part with DeFo and Deebo.

Good luck if your name rhymes with theirs.

Lynch doesn't seem to realize that the NFL is becoming a player's league, like the NBA. Once NBA stars started making more than $30 million per season, they began to dictate where they play. Ask LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Kyrie Irving (twice), Ben Simmons -- the list goes on and on.

Now, quarterbacks are getting fully guaranteed contracts -- see Kirk Cousins and Deshaun Watson -- and wide receivers are beginnig to average $30 million per season -- hello, Tyreek Hill. Which means NFL stars -- i.e. Deebo -- are beginning to have the power and the leverage that NBA stars have. So the 49ers better change the way they do business before they lose more players like Samuel.

"Does the uncertainty of the Deebo situation sort of put a cloud over the locker room before the season even starts given how important it is?" I asked Lynch.

“I don't think so," Lynch said. "I see guys out my window working extremely hard and it's really early and guys are focused on getting themselves better and I think that's where their focus should be. And that's where it is right now.” 

Wrong answer.

The focus every year should be on winning a Super Bowl. Instead, the players almost certainly are whispering to each other, "What's the deal with Deebo?" and, "Who's our quarterback going to be?"

That's not where their focus should be right now.