49ers GM search may be compromised by Jed York’s impulsivity

As the San Francisco 49ers candidates for general manager have been backing out like Trump on his campaign promises, some analysts have suggested that the Packers executives not taking the 49ers GM job was more about staying with the Packers than avoiding the 49ers. But with the recent report that 49ers top GM candidate George Paton may be a candidate for the open GM position with the Indianapolis Colts, one can’t help but wonder if Jed’s impulsive approach may have compromised the 49ers GM search.

Jed may never live down his choosing to side with GM Baalke over HC Harbaugh, but it’s almost as if the emotional toll of his previous mistakes are driving his current 180 degree about face in shifting a significant amount of power over the draft and personnel to a head coach that has not officially been hired yet in Kyle Shanahan. Jed could end up being right in this rather bold approach, either way it is likely driven by what feels right to him.

History has shown us that Jed is exquisitely sensitive to interpersonal dynamics and hierarchy in the workplace, and this sensitivity reportedly led to animosity toward Harbaugh and is alleged to be a driving force in what the San Jose Mercury News’ writer Tim Kawakami calls “JedLeaks”: leaking stories to the national media as a way of garnering positive views of himself and the organization and to facilitate the front office agenda.

This sensitivity may be related to the fact that Millennials, like Jed York, prefer a flat corporate structure devoid of hierarchy so that everyone feels free to engage with supervisors, peers and subordinates alike without fear of criticism or being talked down to. This preference may be why Jed did not like Harbaugh but it may be exactly why, among other qualities, Jed is enamored with Kyle Shanahan, who is about the same age as Jed and who KNBR’s Tim Ryan says will be a good fit with Jed because his similar age will make Jed more comfortable.

And according to Kawakami, Jed continues to be motivated by and act on that which makes his ego feel better:

After Green Bay’s Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst withdrew on the heels of Kansas City’s Chris Ballard, New England’s Nick Caserio and two Seattle execs removing themselves from consideration, one has to wonder if Jed may have overreacted by not only putting all his eggs in the Kyle Shanahan basket but also by possibly leaking his top GM candidates impulsively, leading to embarrassment when those candidates backed out.

Given Terry McDonough’s longer experience in the NFL and his being significantly older than Kyle Shanahan, it’s less likely McDonough idealizes a situation where the head coach is given significant say over the draft and personnel, making it such that the 49ers could end up with none of the GM candidates they pursued if Paton ends up elsewhere.

If Kyle Shanahan is all that he seems cracked up to be, it may not matter. Bill Walsh was in place as head coach prior to a hiring of the GM, as was Pete Carroll. Though it may be unconventional, hiring a head coach before the GM can be successful if it’s the right fit and it would make sense for the 49ers to wait for the right fit as opposed to getting desperate, misplaying leaks and rushing into a decision.

The post 49ers GM search may be compromised by Jed York’s impulsivity appeared first on Cover32.