And you thought last August was chaotic for the San Francisco 49ers?
Ah, the good old days, when life was easier, and the only craziness in Santa Clara centered around the stunning news that the 49ers had signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal to be the backup quarterback. Some fans hated the idea, thinking it would be an unwanted distraction for the team. Others, like me, loved the idea, because it gave the 49ers a backup signal-caller that we knew could win a lot of games. It turned out to be a great move that helped the 49ers overcome a season-ending injury to brand-new starting QB, Trey Lance.
And now? There's not too much going on, except a crazy past week that topped off a chaotic August. The problem is that the chaos was brought on by those whose job it is to bring order, direction, confidence, and leadership to the franchise. Let's take a look at the chaos and possible missteps in August by those leading the 49ers.
Jed York's insider trading, securities violations
In early August, it was reported that Jed York had been sued for "alleged insider trading and violations of federal securities laws." York serves on the board of an online educational company called Chegg, Inc. The 49ers CEO, and other directors of the company, are being accused of concealing the company's role in helping college students cheat on online exams during the pandemic. York is also being accused of illegal insider trading for "allegedly unloading Chegg stock at the top of the market without informing investors about the extent of the cheating scandal." According to reports, York made $1.4M in profit on the sale of 20,000 shares at artificially inflated prices.
It's not likely something that will distract the team, but it's nevertheless a black eye for the organization if the allegations are proven to be true. And for those hoping York's legal troubles will force him to give up the team, much like his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo, had to do years ago, don't get too excited. York doesn't own the team. His parents do. So ownership of the San Francisco 49ers is unlikely to change.
York did speak on the lawsuit, saying, "It's 18 months old. It's a completely frivolous lawsuit. I think they're grasping at straws to bring this out publicly now.
"I'm proud of our work with Chegg, proud of my work on the board and with its scholarship program. I have no doubt this will be taken care of in no time. I wish I could say more but I will let the process play out."
Poor handling of the Trey Lance saga
However you slice it, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch could have handled the Lance saga better than they did. Especially Shanahan. I didn't agree with the decision to bring Sam Darnold in to compete with Lance for QB2, but that's what they decided to do, so it's fine. But some are wondering if it truly was a competition. Or was it just made to look like one?
Many local reporters seemed to believe Lance was ahead in the competition. But national reporters kept saying it was the other way around. In the end, Shanahan made the decision to choose Darnold over Lance. Again, I disagreed with that, but it's his call.
But when the news broke that Darnold had been named QB2, there was also the added news that Lance was being shopped. And the news broke before the players found out, which is horrible, in my opinion. To make things worse, neither Shanahan nor Lynch met with the media after practice. Instead, Fred Warner and Javon Hargrave were left to answer questions. That's bad leadership.
Then on Friday, shortly before the 49ers final preseason game, it was announced that Lance had been traded to the Dallas Cowboys. To their credit, Lynch and Shanahan spoke on the matter. Lynch spoke during the broadcast and sounded like he might get choked up at one point. "Yeah, (it's) really a hard day," Lynch said during the game. "(Lance is) such a wonderful young man.
"We took a shot and it didn't work out. We own that. We take accountability for that."
Shanahan spoke after the game and among other things, said, "I always feel like I let Trey down."
"I always feel like I let Trey down."
Shanahan reflects on Lance's time with the 49ers pic.twitter.com/Aq5ZsaISEm
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 26, 2023
Lynch and Shanahan mishandled the Lance situation, especially in August. But I respect that they were accountable for it.
Failure to get Nick Bosa extended sooner
The clock is ticking as each day gets us closer to the start of the NFL season. In fact, the 49ers are just over a week away from beginning installation of game plans for week one. And still no Nick Bosa.
Initially, I was certain this new deal, one that would likely make Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in history, would be wrapped up on the eve of training camp, or shortly thereafter. But that was five weeks ago. The 49ers have finished training camp, and preseason, and are now ready to begin the regular season.
On Friday, Ian Rapoport reported that Bosa could miss the opener because he's not currently negotiating with the 49ers. It seems that Bosa has decided what he wants his contract to look like, and he's not budging off of it. Lynch was asked on Friday if he believed a deal would get worked out before week one. Lynch said, "Yeah, I do. And we got a lot of work to do, and we'll continue to do that. He's a great player. We want them here. We need them here."
On Saturday, I talked about Bosa's contract situation on my show. I had a fan of the team jump in the comments and ask if Bosa might be waiting to see what Kansas Chiefs defensive tackle, Chris Jones, gets. It was an interesting question and not one I'd considered. But I really doubt it. For one thing, they play different positions (Jones plays on the defensive interior). For another, Jones isn't on Bosa's level.
On Monday, Rapoport went on the "Pat McAfee Show" and said, "They're not there yet, and I don't get the sense they're close at all, so I don't get the sense anything is imminent. But at least it sounds like there's been some level of conversation, I guess, which is as there should be. It's like there's been at least some touching base.
"They are not there yet. And I know this probably doesn't make anyone feel better, but there still is a lot of time. I mean, Bosa, I'm sure, keeps himself in unbelievable shape. I don't think he's going to need a lot of an acclimation period. So even if he shows up five days from now, I'm sure he'll be ready for the season."
Matt Barrows, appearing on 95.7 The Game Monday morning, spoke about the Bosa contract drama. Barrows said, "The agent is using Tuesday at 1 p.m., the deadline for getting down to the 53-man roster, as leverage. That's sort of a next data point or date that I'd be looking at for when this deal could get done."
It sounds like Bosa is tightening the screws on the 49ers. Either way, they should have figured this out by now. Even if it isn't the team's fault, they're the ones who will be blamed.
Looking to Pittsburgh
Now that the preseason has come to a close, the 49ers turn their attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers. San Francisco plays in the Steel City on September 10th at 10:00 a.m. (PST). Winning that game will not be easy, though. For one thing, the Steelers are always ready to play in week one, and almost always win on opening day, especially at home.
In the previous two seasons, the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills on the road. This year, they get to open at home.
The 49ers, on the other hand, sometimes tend to start a little more slowly. Add to that being on the road, playing an early game in the Eastern time zone, and a chaotic August, with a starting QB that didn't practice until training camp, and a right tackle who will be facing star edge rusher, T.J. Watt, and an opening day loss is a realistic possibility.
Yes, York, Lynch, and Shanahan made some mistakes that made August 2023 one they'd like to soon forget. But for all the missteps, this team has won a lot of games, and once again has a shot to win the Super Bowl.
