San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch addressed the team’s recent trade for wide receiver Skyy Moore from the Kansas City Chiefs during an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR. The move comes as the 49ers face several injuries within their wide receiver lineup, including Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, and Russell Gage.
The trade was a low-cost transaction involving a swap of sixth- and seventh-round draft picks in 2027. Moore was likely to be released by the Chiefs before the deal.
Lynch explained his view on acquiring Moore, stating, “I think, the bottom line, Skyy’s a talented guy, who probably, a change in environment was needed, and we get a chance to do it this early. What I like about it, it gives us an opportunity to evaluate him here before the season. A very talented young man, was a second-round pick in the ’22 draft. Probably has fallen short of the expectations they had for him, but he brings a lot of value in terms of he’s a dual returner, meaning he can do punt return and kickoff return. With Jacob Cowing out, that became valuable and important to us. (…) And then, we really believe there’s a lot of talent. And sometimes, talent in one spot, expectations of being a second-round pick, and not living up to it, the scrutiny—sometimes a change of scenery is just a needed thing. And from all accounts, he’s a great kid. I remember during the draft process, we really liked him, so we’re excited. (…) He’s en route here. He’s got to pass his physical for the trade to go through, so I never like talking about it like it’s a certainty, but we are excited, if everything goes well, to add him to the mix.”
Lynch also noted that Moore’s readiness could see him participate in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers: “The good thing with Skyy is he’s been in a camp. He just played last week, had a fantastic return—a punt return for a touchdown against the Seahawks. And so it’s not like he’s not in shape. He’s ready and we’ll make sure he’s right. But we’ll get him in a good place and we’ll make that decision.”
Questions have arisen regarding whether this move signals anything concerning Jauan Jennings’ status with the team or his ongoing contract situation—his current deal expires after this season and there have been reports that he might request a trade if no new agreement is reached.
When asked directly if trading for Moore was intended as any kind of message toward Jennings or related to his absence due to injury or contract talks, Lynch responded: “No messages,” Lynch affirmed. “We like the player Skyy. I just talked about that. We love Jauan. We’re getting close to this season—players gotta practice. But if they’re not healthy enough to do it they can’t. It’s kind of where we’re at with Jauan right now. But Jauan we’re getting there where we’ve got to get out there on that field and we’ll continue to let that thing unfold.(…) Like I said Jauan’s a big part of this team and we’re looking forward to the time when he’s back out there again and hopefully that’s soon.”
The addition of Moore adds depth while injured players recover as San Francisco prepares for its upcoming season.
