Will 49ers entertain reunion with former Commanders GM Martin Mayhew?

With Adam Peters off to the Commanders to fill their general manager job, Martin Mayhew's future is very much in limbo. Could he return to the 49ers?

Paralleling the San Francisco 49ers' success since head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017 has been a very noticeable trend of other teams plucking away both coaching assistants and front office executives to help build their own programs.

The Niners know this well. And that trend has hit them again early in 2024, too.

Adam Peters, San Francisco's now-former assistant general manager and one of Lynch's top lieutenants, is departing the West Coast to take over as the Washington Commanders' new general manager.

It's an enticing job. The Commanders have more salary cap space than anyone else entering 2024, and they also own the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft this spring. Plus, for Peters, he'll no longer operate in the shadow of Lynch.

That said, Peters onboarding with Washington effectively pushes out its former general manager, Martin Mayhew, who just so happens to be part of Lynch's executive tree who also joined the 49ers back in 2017 before departing for the Commanders in 2021.

What's at stake for Mayhew now with Peters in town?

If Commanders dismiss Martin Mayhew, does he return to 49ers?

Mayhew is out of his former job. That part is clear merely by the fact that Peters is taking it over in tandem with an entire regime that also dismissed head coach Ron Rivera at the end of the regular season.

That said, Peters worked with Mayhew during their time together with the Niners from 2017 through 2020, and it's entirely possible the new GM wants to keep the old GM around in some capacity.

Commanders Wire's Ivan Lambert summed things up nicely:

"If Peters and Mayhew had a good working relationship in San Francisco (2017-20), perhaps Peters would ask Mayhew if he would like to stay on in some capacity.

Of course it is also a strong possibility that Peters may have someone else in mind that has worked with him in San Francisco that may like to come to Washington and become Peters’ assistant general manager. We will have to wait and see what transpires."

Related story: Tracking which 49ers assistants are interviewing (and where)

That's only part of the equation. Even if Peters and Co. dismiss Mayhew from the Commanders organization entirely, San Francisco would have to want him back with open arms.

Again, that would seem highly plausible, given Mayhew was another one of the top lieutenants chosen by Lynch and Shanahan when they first took over the franchise back in 2017.

However, as Lambert echoed, we'll have to wait and see.

Read more from Niner Noise