San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke on the team's decision to trade for former Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, saying the Niners were keen on landing either Sanders or Atlanta Falcons wideout Mohamed Sanu.

Appearing on KNBR's “Murph and Mac” on Friday, Lynch said that the Niners were in talks with both the Broncos and the Falcons at the same time. The determination was that the team valued both receivers pretty equally (via Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area):

“I would say we had [Sanu and Sanders] very evenly ranked, and so much goes into who you're going to end up with,” Lynch said Friday (H/T 49ers Webzone). “… “But it wasn't like we were bummed out because I think [49ers coach Kyle Shanahan] has spoken many times about what a fan of Emmanuel he's been. I've been the same way for a long time, and that was kind of unanimous throughout our building.”

The New England Patriots would swing a deal to land Sanu, who figures to be exactly the kind of slot receiver that Tom Brady loves to have on the field. That made Lynch's decision simple.

San Francisco traded third- and fourth-round picks in next year's draft to acquire Sanders. The 32-year-old should immediately step in as the foremost playmaker in the passing game, giving Jimmy Garoppolo another deep threat alongside Marquise Goodwin.

The Niners have one of the best defenses in the league and an effective rushing attack, but they are hoping that Sanders can open up the field offensively.