Getty John Lynch looks onto the field before the Sunday, December 12, 2021 road game at Cincinnati.
It’s been one week since Antonio Brown played his final game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — ripping off his gameday attire and leaving MetLife Stadium during the Bucs’ win over the New York Jets.
While Brown is now listed as a free agent, did the San Francisco 49ers give any thought of adding the polarizing Pro Bowl wide receiver?
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John Lynch was asked that surprising question on his Friday, January 7 appearance on KNBR’s Murph and Mac show.
The 49ers general manager immediately responded with where his focus lies on that idea: On the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m so focused on this week,” Lynch said. “I haven’t even thought of that, to be honest.”
Is Lynch Sympathetic About Brown’s Situation?
Since storming off the field during the Bucs’ 28-24 win over the Jets, Brown has since called out his last NFL employer for mishandling him including publicly saying the Bucs tried to force him to play on a broken ankle. The Bucs, meanwhile, shared their side of the story via head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Tom Brady.
Bruce Arians speaks to the media following the release of Antonio Brown.
But has Lynch chosen a side on his end? The general manager said he’s sympathetic about Brown’s situation.
“You look at the kid, you feel sorry for him,” Lynch said. “That kind of spectacle. Handling it the way he handled it. I don’t know everything that went into it but you hope if he needs help, he gets the help he needs.”
And that’s when Lynch dove into the area where he cares about the A.B. situation the most.
“I care more for the person right now than about our situation because I’m not at the point right now,” Lynch added. “He’s been a fabulous player in our league. But I think when things start repeating themselves, you probably know the answer.”
Not the First Time Lynch Addressed Brown
Back in 2019, Brown’s name was linked as a potential possibility for the 49ers’ wide receiving corps.
Brown was on the trading block by the Pittsburgh Steelers before he eventually ended up with the then-Oakland Raiders. But did Lynch and the ‘Niners have thoughts back then about potentially adding A.B. to the wide receiving mix in the 49ers’ facility?
“We took a quick look and then we just said, ‘Hey, we’re not interested in that for our team,’ Lynch said back on March 29, 2019. “That’s where we are. I think we feel pretty good about our receiving corps. I know a lot of people don’t share our sentiments.”
Lynch even earlier said that there was no thought of bringing in Brown during February 2019 seen and heard in this clip:
Here is the response from John Lynch when I asked him about Antonio Brown.
Yet, on Brown’s end, there was the rumored possibility of him wanting to be a 49er.
The crazy thing is John Lynch must not be paying attention. Antonio Brown (The best WR in the game) was tweeting about San Francisco heavily. He seemed interested in playing there. Why wouldnt you call the Steelers now? Offer something, why not?
The 49ers, in the end, went on and added Jordan Matthews via the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal — who was the lone wide receiver signing via the free agency market.
The franchise, however, went ahead and drafted a young wide receiver named Deebo Samuel at No. 36 overall in the second round of the NFL Draft.