The San Francisco 49ers have some key decisions to make when it comes to their upcoming free agency plan. 

One such decision is right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who is up for a new contract, as the former top-10 draft pick has developed into a key cog along the offensive line over the last five seasons.

Fortunately, that means a big payday is coming for McGlinchey. 

And general manager John Lynch is well aware of that fact. And it doesn't sound like Lynch envisions McGlinchey staying the Bay Area.

“Could he miss his market? Sure,” Lynch told reporters at the NFL Combine. “Then would we be interested? Of course we would.

“But I don’t see that happening. I see him being a coveted player.”

The key, here, is Lynch's process. It doesn't justify paying top dollar to both a left and right tackle (LT Trent Williams is the team's highest-paid player).

“So when you have Trent [Williams] and the way our team is comprised, the reality is it’s just a tough deal for us,” said Lynch. "… You have to have the patience and the vision to allow some of these guys to walk. We get the comp picks as a result and play that game…

“We’ve tried to understand that you can’t just go full throttle and get some rewards if you have a little more discipline. It’s never easy, but it is necessary.”

McGlinchey's market value is estimated to be $14.8 million per year, per Spotrac. Over The Cap has the 49ers with close to $5.9 million in cap space, currently. Things aren't as dire as they seem, however. The 49ers have plenty of contracts they can restructure in order to create plenty of room. 

But even then, Lynch doesn't sound optimistic about the overall situation.

This creates the perfect situation for a team like the Chicago Bears to swoop in and take advantage for their own personal gain. The Bears can use a right tackle such as McGlinchey that also hails from the Shanahan tree. So, there is familiarity/fit and consistent production within the main structure and philosophy of Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system.

The Bears also have a ton of money – it's the most cap space in the NFL, to be exact.

Losing McGlinchey isn't a guarantee, but it's also pretty obvious things are heading that way.

As with all things in the NFL: only time will tell.