Lynch is confident Staley will be back; confirms trade talks with Goodwin

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch just spoke to the media for over 45 minutes and was candid about everything from trading DeForest Buckner, to some players on the roster. One of the biggest takeaways was Lynch confirming the team is actively discussing trades for wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Here was his full quote:

“Marquise is the one guy out of that group that you mentioned where there are active discussions going on. The other guys, we love and are really looking forward to playing with moving forward.”

The other guys’ Lynch is referring to are Kwon Alexander, Dee Ford, and Jaquisi Tartt. The Athletic reported Monday morning that each player listed above had been on the trading block. Lynch shot that down but was open about having trade talks with Goodwin.

Lynch said that there is a scenario where Goodwin can help the 49ers as he brings a lot to the table. “We have been in discussions It came close a couple of times. There’s a lot of different aspects too being able to close these deals, and he’s a guy because we know he has value, we continue to hang on, and we’ll see if something happens here.” Lynch said it’s possible Goodwin can be moved during the draft. “When there’s a deadline or something that causes it to happen, I think the draft is one of those things.”

The other significant talking point was Joe Staley and his future. Lynch said the team had been in good contact with Staley:

“He’s doing his typical routine down with his family in San Diego working out. We’re encouraged. We’ve heard nothing that would lead us to believe that Joe is not going to play. So we’re encouraged with that. We’ll see where that goes. That is something with each and every player, particularly as they get closer. You give them that time that they need. But we are encouraged that Joe will be a part of us, moving forward.”

It sounded like Lynch was expecting Staley to return, but that won’t stop the team from finding his potential successor in this draft.

The last note we’ll touch on today was when Lynch was asked how many “foundational players” both him and head coach Kyle Shanahan have circled in this draft. If the Niners stay at 13, Lynch said they’ve got six right now, with some discussion to go. We don’t know who those six are but have fun narrowing the list down. Hearing him say that and how Lynch is open to trading down from 13, don’t be shocked if Peter King’s mock is accurate, and San Francisco moves out of the 13th spot.

Lynch used the term “difference-maker” when discussing the 13th overall pick, and if they only have six, they don’t want to force a pick. “If you can’t find a foundational player at 13, that’s something you have to consider,” when discussing trading back. At the same time, Lynch said the roster is strong, and acquiring too many picks does the Niners no good as it will be a struggle for rookies to make the team.