The 49ers may be staring at a front-office shakeup that has nothing to do with football.
Paraag Marathe, the team’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations and long-time contract negotiator, is reportedly one of three finalists for the open MLS Commissioner job, according to John Ourand of Puck and a report from Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen and Eben Novy-Williams. Don Garber recently vacated the role, and the search has reportedly narrowed to Marathe, LAFC co-owner and former PE exec Larry Berg, and veteran media executive David Nathanson.
If Marathe lands the job, he would almost certainly leave his duties with San Francisco behind. That would put Jed York and John Lynch in a tricky spot when it comes to handling player contracts, since Marathe has been the steady hand in those negotiations for years.
His name is familiar to 49ers fans for more than one reason. Marathe has been a fixture in York’s front office for decades, and while his reputation took some hits during the rough years before 2017 - when Lynch and Kyle Shanahan arrived - he has still been a central part of the organization for a long time. Under his watch, San Francisco has only rarely run into serious contract or salary-cap trouble.
There’s also a soccer connection here. Marathe and the York family have already spent time in that world through 49ers Enterprises and their association with Leeds United FC in England. That background likely helped put him on MLS’s radar in the first place.
For now, it’s just a rumor with real consequences attached. But if it turns into something more, the 49ers could suddenly find themselves looking for a new chief negotiator.
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