49ers GM John Lynch admits ‘accidentally’ overpaying a player by $75K which led to draft pick penalty

John Lynch clarified that the 49ers had no intention of circumventing the given salary cap.

49ers GM John Lynch admits ‘accidentally’ overpaying a player by $75K which led to draft pick penalty

49ers' General Manager John Lynch

Not that the Super Bowl OT rules negligence wasn’t a blunder; the San Francisco 49ers dug another hole for themselves when they overcalculated their player payroll. During these times, the franchise had to pay a hefty price. 

The NFL reportedly penalized the Niners by taking away their 2025 fifth-round draft pick and lowering their fourth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft—all because of a clerical mistake on the part of the Niners’ paperwork. 

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While talking on the subject, General Manager John Lynch enlightened everyone on the whole story, saying due to an honest payroll mistake, one of their players got an additional $75,000. Though they say it was an honest mistake, the NFL officials didn’t let it slide easily. 

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It was a clerical error. There was a new system in place. We own our part. We went through a whole mitigation issue. But the league decided to impose that, so you take your medicine and move on.
Lynch said, as reported by The Athletic

Although the 49ers GM didn’t mention the name of the player, he claimed that it was nothing but an honest mistake while using the new payroll system. He clarified that the 49ers had no intention of circumventing the given salary cap, but it remains a question whether the franchise got the $75,000 back or not.  

Moreover, he also acknowledged the further mistake on the part of the franchise, that they didn’t immediately report the payment to the league, as the teams are required to report every dollar they spend on the players. 

That’s where our culpability was. So we’ve learned from that.
He added. 

Brock Purdy’s impending mega-contract with the San Francisco 49ers

After leading the team to two winning seasons until the Super Bowl LVIII, an upgrade in the contract of star quarterback Brock Purdy was foreseen. He is reported to soon be among the highest earners in the league at the young age of 25. 

Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy (Via Imago)

After the 2024 season, Purdy would become eligible for an extension but the franchise has already begun planning his new deal. At the NFL league meetings, 49ers CEO Jed York said he’s expecting Purdy to “ask for something that no one has ever asked for before.” 

However, offering the quarterback his desired numbers may cause a stir in the Niners cap situation. The franchise is already projected to exceed its estimated salary cap for 2025 by $23.9 million. 

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