https://247sports.com/nfl/san-franc...an-Francisco-49ers-today-per-report-115332432
ESPN picks Aaron Lynch as a 49ers player needing new scenery
The San Francisco 49ers have 16 players at the moment due for unrestricted free agency on March 14, and few if any of them seem as unlikely to return as defensive end Aaron
The San Francisco 49ers
have 16 players at the moment due for unrestricted free agency on March 14, and few if any of them seem as unlikely to return as defensive end Aaron Lynch. It might seem odd from the outside looking in that a team in need of pass rush help would be willing to give up on a player like Lynch, who has a good amount of potential in that area, but after a season plagued by injuries coming off an offseason where he was overweight, Lynch seems to be on the outside looking in when it comes to which pending free agents the 49ers will re-sign.
So it's no surprise to see Lynch as the name that pops up next to the San Francisco 49ers
in a feature posted by ESPN Wednesday that selects one player on each NFL team that could use a change of scenery.
49ers reporter Nick Wagoner wrote that it's time for Lynch, who is still just 24 years old, to find a new team, and that it could give him a spark towards reaching his potential.
"After four seasons in which Lynch's pass-rush ability and inability to stay in shape would alternately tantalize and frustrate the 49ers, it's time for the two sides to part ways," Wagoner wrote. "Lynch is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March after posting six or more sacks in his first two seasons and just 2.5 total over the past two years. Throughout his time in the Bay Area, Lynch often looked like the team's best edge rusher, but he was never able to put it all together and then struggled with injuries and weight issues toward the end. Perhaps an opportunity on a different team will help him get back on track. But for now, the Niners need to look outside the organization to bolster their outside pass rush."
Lynch was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of South Florida and over his first two seasons showed flashes of what made him such a highly-regarded prospect earlier in his career when he was viewed as one of the top defensive end prospects in the country coming out of high school. But after racking up 12.5 sacks over his first two seasons, Lynch played in just 14 games over the course of 2016 and 2017, due in part to injuries and a suspension for substance abuse that left him suspended for the start of the 2016 season.
Another team will surely give Lynch a chance if the 49ers decide not to re-sign him over the next few weeks. The talent is still there, and the need for pass rushers around the league will never go away. If he does re-sign with the 49ers, at the very least it will provide some depth in an area of need and give him one more chance to flip the switch and become the player he still could potentially become.
Author
Kirk Larrabee @NFL_49ers247
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He has been mentioned here before but, I didn't know much about him. Started college going to Notre Dame but, missed Florida and transferred. Had to sit out a year. I read his weight fluctuates but, he got back in shape last year but, got hurt again. Has good size and that P for potential. Could be motivated at least against the Whiners. Not a fan of one year deals but, could give him two years with little cap out in year two. He has the size 6'5" and 270 Lbs with 34" arms or so Still only 24. I would see what he cost. Not my first choice but, Rams need more pressure.