Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Outlines Head Coach Search

Adofo-Mensah’s work with San Francisco’s football and research development overlapped with parts or all of the tenures of four 49ers head coaches. He started in 2013 and was with the Niners for Jim Harbaugh’s final two seasons, as well as 2015 with Jim Tomsula and 2016 with Chip Kelly in charge. Kyle Shanahan was hired by 49ers General Manager John Lynch in 2017, the day after Super Bowl LI.

Lynch had been hired as GM the previous week. When asked about the first few moments, days and week of being in the role, Lynch just started laughing.

“I’m laughing because it never stops,” Lynch said. “I tell people after I took this job, there’s a reason they call it general manager because it’s anything and everything. It’s anything that football touches, and that’s everything in an organization, so it’s dealing with ownership. It’s dealing with the business side. Most importantly, obviously, football operations, but everything. You’re a football organization, so everything touches that.

“I think the first job he’s got is putting the team around him,” Lynch continued. “I know Kwesi is open-minded, so I also have tremendous respect, as I know he does. The Vikings have been a good organization, a well-run organization, so I’m sure there’s plenty of talented people there that he’ll be open to, and I’m sure he’s identified people he wants to bring with him, but then, more than anything, and Kwesi, I know, believes in this, too, because he watched Kyle and I do it. I think the most important thing he can do is establish that connection and relationship in time with whoever the coach is because that’s critical.”