Few people know Adam Peters, the new general manager of the Washington Commanders, as well as San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch.
Since 2017, the tandem has worked together in the Bay Area, helping the 49ers become a perennial postseason contender. With Peters taking over his program, Lynch believes his former aide is ready to leave his mark on the Commanders.
“He has the opportunity to leave his mark on a truly historic organization,” Lynch told the Commanders’ official website. “That’s normally when you enter a place. It is not because they have consistently performed admirably. It’s because there have been certain obstacles, which he’s up for. I believe he has been there previously, just not in that role. But he has gone through it and understands what it takes. It’s simply sort of exhausting labor.”
Lynch went on to say, “I think the Commanders made a great hire,” “He’s a great friend, and I wish him all the success in the world.”
Peters began his front-office career as a scout for the New England Patriots from 2003 to 2008. He then joined the Denver Broncos, where he served as a scout, assistant director of scouting, and director of scouting between 2009 and 2016.
The first meeting between Peters and Lynch occurred in Denver. Lynch is a Hall of Fame safety who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-2003) and the Denver Broncos (2004-2007), earning nine Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro honors. While evaluating defensive backs for Denver, Lynch ran with Peters, who said they hit it up right away.
When Lynch became general manager of the 49ers in 2017, he knew he wanted Peters on his staff. Peters served as the 49ers’ vice president of player personnel until taking over as deputy general manager in 2021. Along with working his way up the front office ranks in San Francisco, Lynch stated that he could always rely on Peters for assistance.
“You can’t do everything,” Lynch replied. “And he allowed me to prioritize and not have to do everything, and I felt confident that the message would be communicated and the job would be completed to my satisfaction. He also took the right direction.”
Since 2019, the 49ers have gone 64-29 in the regular season, making the playoffs four times, winning two conference championships and one Super Bowl. Under Lynch and Peters’ leadership, they’ve also built one of the best rosters in football.
Lynch lauded Peters with helping the club build their process, which has helped them become one of the best in the NFL.
“Adam did a tremendous job of helping to lead them and creating our process,” Lynch went on to say. “I believe one of the defining characteristics of it was its high level of collaboration. It began with Kyle [Shanahan] and my own connection, and we were right there with each other, but it is not enough. It must spread across the entire business.”
Peters will have the opportunity to quickly enhance his process in Washington, which has the most cap space in the NFL and five picks in the top 100 in the 2024 NFL Draft, including the second overall pick. If Peters can replicate his success in San Francisco in terms of player development and drafting, he will have an opportunity to quickly turn around Washington.
