Perhaps the biggest move of the NFL offseason that did happen was when the Los Angeles Rams acquired Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. Other suitors were in play and it turns out, one was the Rams' division rival, the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers missed on Stafford and instead traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting quarterback Trey Lance out of North Dakota State. While San Francisco is thrilled to have the rookie, head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't ever eager to discuss how they barely missed out on Matthew Stafford.
Via NFL.com, Shanahan went into detail about how close the 49ers were to getting the former Lions signal caller.
“You don't want to get me started, dude,” Shanahan said. “That was frustrating. I was in Cabo. I was studying it all. … I remember looking through it because everybody was telling me it was a possibility. Stafford's the man. I studied him hard coming out of college, and you always play against him, so you know how good he is.”
It sure sounds like Stafford may have been option No. 1 for the 49ers this offseason before they took aim at the top of the draft. Now, Shanahan will have the pleasure of seeing Stafford twice a season against the Rams.
“I remember Saturday I was so stressed out and finally we talked to someone, it was seven at night, and they're like, ‘No, nothing's happening (with a trade) at the earliest until tomorrow, so you can finish your night.' So I'm like, alright, I'm done. I put my phone down, talk to Mandy. I'm like, alright, ‘Let's go out to dinner, let's have some drinks.' Half an hour later, my buddy calls me and is like, ‘I'm just telling ya, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.' I'm like, ‘What do you mean? We just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We'll talk to them tomorrow.' ‘I'm just telling you, you need to talk to him right now.' And then it was all over.”
Oh, what could've been for the 49ers.
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