WASHINGTON -- The news that the San Francisco 49ers had released star linebacker NaVorro Bowman on Friday afternoon came as a shock only because of how fast it happened.
In reality, the clock began ticking on Bowman's time with the team the moment general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan showed up. The ticking sped up when the Niners drafted Reuben Foster in the first round in April and the clock officially broke when Bowman publicly voiced his displeasure about having his role reduced in last week's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Still, the inevitable end to Bowman's time with the only NFL team he'd ever played for came sooner than many would have expected. In talking about the move Friday, Lynch gave the usual spiel about how this move was best for all sides. Except this time, it doesn't feel like spiel.
"Some people are going to question whether this is, but I truly do feel it's best for us and I truly do feel it's best for Bo, for him to go and have an opportunity somewhere where if someone brings him in, I will imagine they will have a role and that role will be easier," Lynch said. "It's harder to do in the place you've been. It's just the way it is. And having lived through that, I think we were able to have a discussion last night, the three of us, and I told him, I've been exactly where you're at. And that's what contributes to my opinion that it's best for everyone.”
Indeed, those types of platitudes are regularly tossed around whenever a tough decision has to be made on a fan-favorite player. But this isn't that. No, this decision really does make the most sense for both the Niners and Bowman.
From the 49ers' perspective, it's no secret they are in the early stages of a lengthy rebuilding project. While Bowman can still play at a decent level, he's no longer the dominant force he once was. So, what about the fact that Bowman could provide the type of veteran leadership that can help build the culture Shanahan and Lynch are trying to put in place?
That sounds good on paper, but let's be realistic: If Bowman was disgruntled with his role -- something he readily admitted after missing 18 snaps against the Colts -- then how much was he going to embrace the role of Yoda to Foster's Luke Skywalker? That's not to say Bowman isn't a professional. He undoubtedly is. He's also a competitor.
Just a day ago, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said he expected Bowman would be "the most angry human being in the entire world" after having his play count cut down. Once Bowman asked for a trade early in the week and then again Thursday night, there was really no going back, and Lynch and Shanahan knew it.
So they went about making the toughest decision of their short tenure knowing it might upset some, but also with the idea of setting a standard for how they are going to handle their business moving forward.
"This isn't a fun decision and this is a decision that it's one that I would love to avoid and not have to make, because this is hard," Shanahan said. "And one thing I think John and I, when we got into this and one of the reasons that we wanted to come here was no matter what happened or no matter how hard something was, I wanted to be in a place where if we thought something was right and it was in the best interests of an organization and we were convicted of that, then we were going to make that decision and not worry about the things that might be hard. And once we fully talked and got to that point, then you've got to do what's right. That's, I feel, what I get paid to do. I feel that's what John gets paid to do. We strongly felt this would be the best decision for us right now and going forward. And as not fun as this is, it's something that we believe will help us now and in the future.”
As for Bowman, it's unfair to say that his career is over at 29, but the Niners were reducing his role for good reason. He had solid moments through the season's first five weeks, but the wear and tear from major knee and Achilles injuries was hard to ignore. Bowman himself acknowledged after the Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams that he struggled to recover on a short week and it was clear given how poorly he played.
On the bright side, since the 49ers released him, Bowman can seek employment with a team that will have a role he believes best fits his skill set. After spending his first seven seasons as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, Bowman was asked to do a lot more and cover more ground in Saleh's 4-3 defense. It proved to be asking too much.
Bowman can look for a 3-4 team that will allow him to play near the line of scrimmage more often than not and, perhaps, land on a team that will give him a chance to compete for a Super Bowl.
"Bo's been great to me," Shanahan said. "I've always had the utmost respect for him, just from film and playing against him since I've been here to get to know him as a person. He's as cool as any guy I've been around. This wasn't an easy thing. It was nice to be able to sit and talk to Bo about all the stuff last night. I think he totally understood John and I's perspective and we totally understood his. And after hearing what [agent] Drew [Rosenhaus] had told John and how if we weren't going to change that, that he would be interested in us looking into trading him, and then after we talked to Bo and asked him about it, definitely felt that was the best thing...we tried to do what was best for him also and the team and give him a chance to move on."
With Bowman gone, there are only a couple of players still on the roster from the 49ers' most recent run of excellence. But for Bowman and the Niners to begin taking steps to the next era of success, it was time for both to look to the future.
