New San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch clearly missed the competitive drive that comes with working for an NFL team.
But he will also miss the stability a life on football's periphery provided him.
Speaking to reporters after his introductory news conference, Lynch offered a glimpse into his family life. His four kids are still in school at home in San Diego and, according to ESPN, Lynch's oldest son could remain there to round out high school.
"My wife keeps saying, 'Are you sure?'" Lynch said, via ESPN.com. "I said, 'Well, this has already started. We're in.' I've never been apart from my family, so it's been gut-wrenching already but -- sorry -- that's been tough."
He added: "As soon as we started having conversations, I knew that this was going to be a possibility, so the biggest thing was, 'Can I get my family on board?' Ultimately, we got there. At first my wife said, 'You go make this decision,' and I said, 'No, no, no, we have to make this decision.' I got them to the point where they were as excited as I was and pulled the trigger."
It's hard to imagine anyone having a crazier offseason than the new members of the 49ers thus far. Head coach Kyle Shanahan goes from watching the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history straight into a new head coaching job. In addition, he has the No. 2 pick in the draft and the challenge of breaking in a first-time general manager. Lynch goes from a broadcaster's schedule to one where he might not be able to come home at times -- ask any tenured general manager about the air mattress in their office.
While all new regimes are fascinating in their own right, nothing will be worth watching as closely as the 49ers this offseason. For Lynch, nothing will be as simultaneously exciting and difficult.
