49ers, Lynch not shying away from Trent Brown trade option

After drafting offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey with the ninth selection of Thursday’s NFL Draft, 49ers GM John Lynch was asked about the possibility of trading Trent Brown before the 2018 season:

“You never say never”

Originally reported by NinersNation.com Thursday afternoon, just hours before the draft, San Francisco was rumored to be shopping Brown to the Broncos. With the selection of McGlinchey, a 6-foot-7 24-year-old out of Notre Dame, those rumors have only been amplified.

When asked directly about the thought of potentially moving Brown, head coach Kyle Shanahan shied away from giving any insight.

Lynch instead took the reigns:

“I think the reality, if you look at our tackle situation,Trent (Brown) whose contract is up after this year, you have Joe Staley, who in two seasons his contract is up, we believe that both in the short-term and long-term (selecting McGlinchey) was the right decision.”

If Brown is on the roster come opening week of 2018, the 49ers will be on the hook for the final year of his contract worth $1.9 million.

Last season, Brown missed six games of the season due to a shoulder injury, including the final four games of the season. In those final four games of the season, San Francisco went 4-0 with Jimmy Garoppolo starting at quarterback.

If in fact the 49ers do decide to keep Brown on the roster for training camp this summer, one thing they will likely benefit from is competition now that they have four tackles of starting caliber (Brown, Eric Magnuson, McGlinchey and Staley).

Lynch spoke to this Thursday night:

“God didn’t create a bunch of great offensive tackles. They’re limited. … Right now we’re pleased to have a lot of great competition at that spot.”