49ers Had To Cough Up Draft Pick Because They Overpaid A Player Who Didn't Want To Give Money Back

The San Francisco 49ers found themselves in a bit of trouble that will cost them a draft pick and it was all thanks to a clerical mistake that led to a player being paid an extra $75,000.

…And the fact that the player on the receiving end of that unintended bonus didn't want to give it back.

According to SFGate, the NFL announced that the 49ers 2024 fourth-round pick was being dropped four spots. and the team was also forced to give up its fifth-round pick in 2025.

GM John Lynch explained how the clerical error cost the team.

"We overpaid a player… by $75,000," Lynch said Monday at the league's meetings in Florida.

Lynch said this happened while there was another system in place because of COVID.

"And so, it happened. We own our part. We’ve gone through a whole mitigation deal to remedy some of the issues that happened," he said. "But the league decided to impose that, so you take your medicine and you move on."

Of course, as is the case with a lot of clerical errors, one party benefited from the mistake, and that would be the player.

Lynch revealed that the unnamed player did not return the money.

"The player did what you’d think he’d do," he said.

San Francisco 49ers John Lynch talked about how the team lost a draft pick after overpaying a player. (© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

According to SFGate, Lynch explained that the penalty didn't stem from the overpayment itself, but from the team's failed attempt to recover it.

There you go, kids: further proof that honesty is the best policy. Even when it comes to an honest clerical gaffe.

However, I love that when the 49ers did eventually cop to it, they threw their arms up and waved the clerical error flag. That's smart. No one ever questions a clerical error explanation. They just accept that it happens.

Of course, losing a draft pick is always consequential, even a late-round pick. As Lynch noted to reporters, he once used a fifth-round pick to select tight end George Kittle.