Earlier this month, the NFL announced that the San Francisco 49ers would forfeit one of their 2025 draft picks. Meanwhile, the team’s 2024 fourth-round pick will move from No. 131 to No. 135. The league announced that the suspension was due to an administrative payroll error.
The 49ers accepted the league’s disciplinary action, taking responsibility for an “administrative payroll error.” In a statement, the Niners said, “We accept responsibility and accept the discipline imposed by the NFL due to administrative errors on payroll. We will never mislead or mislead the league regarding payroll errors. “At no time did we deceive or gain any competitive advantage.”
At a league meeting in Florida this week, 49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about the situation surrounding draft picks being demoted or revoked. The former Pro Bowl defensive back suggested the mistake was a result of the team overcompensating on one of its players.
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October 16, 2022. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)
“We overpaid our players…$75,000,” Lynch told reporters. “…This was back in the time of coronavirus and new systems were being put in place. And then it happened. We have our own responsibility. We are responsible for how many of the problems that arose. “But the league has decided to impose it, so take your pill and move on.” ”
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Lynch stopped short of naming the specific players he was referring to. He also expressed admiration for the league and commissioner Roger Goodell, but said there was “disagreement as to the seriousness” of the violations.
The NFL earlier issued a statement noting that the franchise “regardless of the error, remained underpaid at all times.”
A close-up view of the San Francisco 49ers helmet before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 21, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
“This action stems from a league review in which an administrative error in payroll was discovered at the end of the 2022 league year that led to the misreporting of clubs’ cumulative player compensation. “Regardless of the error, there was no intent to circumvent the cap,” the NFL statement said.
Despite the suspension, Lynch quipped that he had a “pretty good” result in the fifth round. San Francisco’s star tight end George Kittle was one of the franchise’s notable fifth-round picks.
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Lynch explained that the team’s main problems stemmed from not immediately reporting overpayments to the league and trying to recover money from players who were unarmed.
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