Tag Archives: 49ers

Sports

Breer: 49ers never made an official offer for Matthew Stafford; What other teams offered

Leave a comment

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe the San Francisco 49ers weren’t as “in it” for quarterback Matthew Stafford as everyone assumed. At least, that is what Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported in his latest feature.

Stafford wanted to go to California. After all, his family has a home in Newport Beach, which is about 40 miles south of SoFi Stadium. According to Breer, the Los Angeles Rams were always his preferred destination, following by the 49ers and Indianapolis Colts.

On Saturday night, Stafford got his wish. The Detroit Lions traded the quarterback to the Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-rounder, and Jared Goff. It seemed like a haul for the soon-to-be-33-year-old quarterback. But at least part of the offer was reportedly to entice the Lions to take on Goff’s salary. The result was an offer that was tough to beat. Los Angeles clearly was all-in on Stafford and eager to ship Goff and his massive contract out of Southern California.

So how far did talks between the 49ers and Lions get? Not far at all, it seems. Breer reports that the two sides had some discussions in Mobile, Alabama, leading to the Senior Bowl, but that’s all they were — talks. Nothing was on the verge of becoming official, despite what the Twitter rumors and speculation had everyone believing.

San Francisco planned to continue discussions with Detroit after the weekend, but then things heated up on Saturday, and Lions reached out to gauge the 49ers’ interest.

“My sense is the 12th pick was never going to be offered,” wrote Breer, which matches what we had heard all last week — that the 49ers were doing everything they could to keep the No. 12 overall pick out of play. Of course, that always came with the caveat that things could change quickly.

When Detroit reached out, things had clearly escalated beyond what the 49ers were comfortable with, and the team had no issue moving on from Stafford and moving forward with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Breer also broke down what other teams were offering to the Lions for Stafford.

  • The Carolina Panthers offered the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft plus a later pick.
  • The Washington Football Team was offering the No. 19 overall pick with a third-round pick.
  • The Colts never offered their first-rounder but did discuss packages of picks and a player.
  • The Denver Broncos discussed a pick swap with the Lions that would have equated to a late first-round pick. That didn’t go anywhere.
  • The New England Patriots discussed packaging a second-round pick with a player but weren’t on Stafford’s list of preferred destinations.
  • Talks with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets didn’t get far.

More San Francisco 49ers News

Breer sounds unsure about 49ers while naming teams ‘solidly in it’ for Matthew Stafford

By David Bonilla

Jan 30, 2021

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated answered questions from fans and was asked about Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has reportedly been the subject of much discussion this past week at the Senior Bowl.

“The Lions brass was in Mobile, Alabama, and they’ve been talking trade on Stafford,” Breer said. “I think they’d like to move him before the Super Bowl. I think they’re going to get a first-round pick. Maybe a first-round pick plus something else.

“I can give you seven teams that I know are solidly in it. That would be Washington, Carolina, New England, Indianapolis, Chicago …”

Breer paused for a second and then continued while sounding a bit less sure about the next two teams on his list.

“San Francisco and LA, I think

King proposes 49ers offer Jimmy Garoppolo, next year’s 2nd-round pick for Matthew Stafford

By David Bonilla

Jan 25, 2021

Matthew Stafford has the statistics of an elite NFL quarterback, passing for over 4,000 yards eight times over his 12-year career. What he lacks is playoff success. He has yet to win a playoff game.

Peter King of NBC Sports questions whose fault that is, though. Is it Stafford’s fault? Or does the blame fall on the Detroit Lions, who can never put enough talent around the quarterback? Stafford has also seen a revolving door of coaches and general managers come through. King believes the blame falls on the organization more than the quarterback.

“He’s been a shining light for a bad franchise and deserves to have a chance to win in the last few years of his career,” King

King: 49ers among teams that ‘competed’ for Matthew Stafford, lost out to Rams

By David Bonilla

Jan 30, 2021

The San Francisco 49ers may downplay their level of interest in Matthew Stafford. On Saturday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the team denied rumors that it was on the verge of trading for the Detroit Lions quarterback. However, Peter King of NBC Sports reports that San Francisco was among the teams that were “very interested” in and “competed” for Stafford.

Stafford did end up in the NFC West, ultimately landing with the Los Angeles Rams, who gave up a haul to acquire the soon-to-be 33-year-old quarterback. That included multiple first-round picks, a third-rounder, and Jared Goff.

According to King, the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Indianapolis Colts were also in the running for

Lions initiate trade talks with teams interested in Matthew Stafford

By David Bonilla

Jan 27, 2021

Let the race begin. At least, that’s the thought process in Detroit. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Lions have started speaking with other teams interested in Matthew Stafford, seeing what they can get in return for the quarterback. Are the San Francisco 49ers among those teams?

Teams already are reaching out to the Detroit Lions to initiate trade talks and figure out what it would take to acquire QB Matthew Stafford, per sources.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 26,



Read original article here

Sports

Warren Moon Sees 49ers, Colts & Jets As Frontrunners For Deshaun Watson

Leave a comment

Exclusive

TMZSports.com

San Francisco, New York and Indianapolis get excited … Warren Moon tells TMZ Sports he believes the 49ers, Jets and Colts are the frontrunners to land Deshaun Watson!!!

The Texans QB officially wants out of Houston … according to multiple reports, the 25-year-old is done with the team after feuding with execs, and has demanded a trade.

It’s unclear if the Texans will give into the request — considering, you know, the QB is awesome — but if they do, Moon says he believes the Jets, Colts and 49ers are the most likely trade partners.

As for why, Moon says with the Niners, Watson could be a big upgrade if the team moves on from Jimmy Garoppolo.

With the Colts — Moon says replacing Philip Rivers with Watson is a no-brainer … though he wonders if the Texans would be open to an inter-division trade.

As for the Jets, Moon tells us Watson would fit in great there … given the New York media market and the promise of new head coach Robert Saleh.

(We know Brandon Marshall certainly agrees with that one!!!)


TMZSports.com

Moon says he’s hopeful that once a trade is completed, Houston will learn from this and realize if it gets another star QB, it needs to build around him and make him the team’s centerpiece right away.

“Hopefully the organization will get a hint from this that we’ve got to do a better job going forward,” Moon says. “We’ve got to go out and look for another top-flight quarterback and we’ve got to build a team around that guy so we don’t end up losing him the next time.”

“So hopefully it’s a lesson learned by the organization as they move forward.”

Read original article here

Sports

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Golden, 49ers

Leave a comment

For the second time in three years, K.J. Wright is a free agent. The longest-tenured Seahawks player has already signed three contracts with the franchise that drafted him. He is eager to ink a fourth.

“I’m having fun; I love this city. I love this team, so let’s make it happen,” Wright said of a return to Seattle, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. “… (A return is) up to Pete (Carroll) and John (Schneider). They know how much I mean to this team. They know I’m a great teammate, a great leader and it would be a great investment — in my opinion — if they invest in K.J. and to bring him back into the building. You get what you pay for, and I bring a lot to the table still.”

Wright, 31, does not sound interested in a hometown discount, per veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The Seahawks have paired Wright and Bobby Wagner for nine seasons and used both as sub-package linebackers for most of the 2020 slate. But Seattle drafting Jordyn Brooks in last year’s first round could complicate a Wright return. Pro Football Focus rated Wright as its No. 8 overall ‘backer this past season.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The Seahawks were not planning to part ways with OC Brian Schottenheimer, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes an end-of-season meeting — in which Carroll reinforced his preference to focus on the run game — helped lead to the team changing play-callers. The Seahawks deviated in the season’s first half from Carroll’s run-centric vision but reverted more toward their usual setup down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how Seattle’s offense looks under new OC Shane Waldron, who spent five years in Washington and Los Angeles working under Sean McVay.
  • Markus Golden‘s sack total dropped from 10 in 2019 to 4.5 in 2020, and the Cardinals saw Haason Reddick complete a contract-year breakout. Still, the older Arizona edge rusher would like to return. “It gave me another shock of energy just being back home,” Golden said of the trade that sent him from the Giants to the Cards, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “Being here where I know my heart is, it really matters to me to be in Arizona on the Cardinals.” Golden, who signed with the Giants in 2019 and stayed in New York via the rare UFA tender last year, is set for free agency for a third straight year.
  • Big expenses at the top of the Rams‘ payroll have forced the team to let several role players walk in recent offseasons. This year may be no exception. The Rams are unlikely to re-sign Josh Reynolds, Malcolm Brown or Gerald Everett, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Rams having drafted contributors at these positions in 2020, and having two wideouts (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods) and a tight end (Tyler Higbee) signed long-term already, pointed this trio to free agency.
  • Jeff Wilson‘s one-year 49ers extension can max out at $3.6MM, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. Wilson will receive $2.05MM fully guaranteed, with another possible $1.55MM available via incentives. The incentives would give Wilson a chance to out-earn the low-end RFA tender price, which OverTheCap projects at $2.24MM for running backs. He is still due to be a 2022 UFA.
  • Nick Mullens underwent elbow surgery last month, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This, however, was not a Tommy John operation, with Garafolo adding the 49ers backup’s injury was not as severe as initially feared. He is expected to be ready by training camp.



Read original article here

Sports

Statements from the 49ers on Tom Rathman’s Retirement

Leave a comment

“The 49ers family would like to congratulate Tom Rathman on concluding a tremendous, 31-year career as both a player and a coach in the National Football League. During more than two decades as a 49er, he left an indelible mark on our organization, the players he coached and the defenders he battled. Tom coached his players the same way he played the game, with a selfless, hard-nosed dedication to getting the best out of himself and those around him. A member of the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame, he is the quintessential 49er in every way. We are so happy for Tom, his wife, Holly, and their family, as he steps away from the game to which he gave so much.”

Read original article here

Sports

49ers Re-Sign RB Jeff Wilson Jr. 

Leave a comment

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that the team has re-signed restricted free agent RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to a one-year deal.

Wilson Jr. (6-0, 213) originally signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 1, 2018. Throughout his three seasons with the 49ers (2018-20), he has appeared in 28 games (five starts) and registered 219 carries for 974 yards (4.4 average) and 11 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 28 receptions for 265 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He has also appeared in one postseason contest and registered one reception for 20 yards.

In 2020, Wilson Jr. led the team with 126 carries for 600 yards and seven touchdowns, all single-season career highs. He also tallied career highs in receptions (13), receiving yards (133) and receiving touchdowns (three).

A 25-year-old native of Elkhart, TX, Wilson Jr. attended the University of North Texas where he appeared in 41 games (29 starts) during his four-year career with the Mean Green. He rushed for 3,205 yards and 32 touchdowns on 562 carries, while adding 70 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson Jr. finished his career ranked third in school history in rushing touchdowns (32) and fourth in rushing yards (3,205). As a senior, he started all 11 games in which he appeared and notched 188 carries for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 24 receptions for 168 yards.

Read original article here

Sports

Golden Nuggets: Breer says the 49ers tried to trade Garoppolo last offseason to the Colts

Leave a comment

Just when you thought the quarterback rumors would die down, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer drops this nugget in an article:

MMQB: How Tom Brady Lifted the Bucs and the Chiefs Returned to Meet Them in Super Bowl LV

Indianapolis seems like the natural landing spot for Stafford. The question, then, becomes whether GM Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich would see Stafford as a Band-Aid or more than that. The team went with a Band-Aid last year, in Rivers, after taking a shot with Jacoby Brissett in 2019 (and that was after Jimmy Garoppolo’s name briefly came up in the DeForest Buckner trade talks with San Francisco). Might they want to fix the position once and for all? I think that would be preferable. You could point to the Buckner trade as an example of Ballard being aggressive in the way he’d have to be on Stafford—but Buckner’s 26 and a definite long-term cornerstone.

Deshaun Watson or Matthew Stafford would fit 49ers like a glove – San Francisco 49ers Blog- ESPN

Perhaps lost in the Niners’ plan to sign Kirk Cousins after the 2017 season was they’d spent a lot of time with Watson in the run up to the 2017 draft. They had a private workout with him at Clemson and he was one of the team’s 30 pre-draft visitors. But the 49ers passed on Watson and every other first-round quarterback because they had their eyes on Cousins, although that never happened because of the trade for Garoppolo.

Nearly four years later, it’s easy to picture Watson thriving in Shanahan’s offense. His mobility and deep ball accuracy (45.4% completion rate on throws 20-plus yards downfield is second in the NFL since he entered the league), would allow the offense to take a leap forward and stress defenses in ways heretofore unseen.

What’s more, the cap charge for a team acquiring Watson is around $10 million. Garoppolo is scheduled to count $26.9 million against the cap next year and the Niners would incur $2.8 million in dead money by trading or releasing him. The money saved at quarterback would give the Niners a sizable chunk to re-sign left tackle Trent Williams.

Jerry Rice: Aaron Rodgers’ draft grudge too strong for him to explore 49ers trade

“Aaron is not going to want to come here,” Rice said Monday during an appearance on 95.7 The Game. “Aaron is not going to want to come here because the 49ers didn’t draft him. He’s still got that grudge. He’s still got that on his shoulders. I’m not saying this guy is not going to stay in Green Bay because it’s got to be frustrating to him because he has lost the last two championship games.”

San Francisco 49ers increase Leeds United stake to 37%

Leeds United’s partnership with 49ers Enterprises has just been massively boosted with the announcement that the NFL giants have upped their initial ~10% stake in the club. The exact cash injection is as yet unknown, but is thought to stand at around £50 million.

“Our 49ers Enterprises team has always shared Andrea’s vision for constructing a powerful and winning club in the most competitive football league in the world, and the experience of the last three seasons has been more exhilarating than we could have ever imagined,” said Marathe.

“The hard work and bold leadership demonstrated by Andrea and his talented team has restored Leeds United’s rightful place in the Premier League and we look forward to playing an even bigger role in supporting their efforts to climb the table this year and into the future.”

“We are increasing our investment in Leeds United now to support and augment the organizational infrastructure needed to remain competitive in the Premier League,” added Marathe.

The San Francisco 49ers Once Went Through A Redesign So Disastrous It Lasted Less Than A Week

By February 1991, the 49ers were still one of the premier teams in football. The previous month, they had just come off a heartbreaking loss in the NFC Championship Game to the New York Giants. That defeat derailed their attempt to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, a feat which has still yet to be accomplished.

Changes were in store for the 49ers for 1991 both on and off the field. Franchise quarterback Joe Montana suffered a brutal injury during the NFC Championship Game that would put him out of action for all of the following season. In the front office, Carmen Policy ascended to the position of team president.

Perhaps sensing a new era, the 49ers contracted Stevens Wright, who had already done work for several NFL teams. In particular, he designed the Buffalo Bills’ “charging buffalo” logo, which is still in use to this day.

Read original article here

Sports

Source — Washington Football Team to hire 49ers executive Martin Mayhew as GM

Leave a comment

The Washington Football Team is hiring Martin Mayhew as its new general manager, a source told ESPN on Thursday, adding another experienced voice to help coach Ron Rivera.

Mayhew, who most recently was an executive in the Niners front office, interviewed with Rivera on Jan. 16 and had long been considered a strong candidate. Among the other known interviews, Washington also spoke with Ryan Cowden, Tennessee’s vice president of player personnel, Nick Polk, Atlanta’s director of football operations and JoJo Wooden, the Los Angeles Chargers’ director of player personnel.

Mayhew had a longer track record in front offices and also had earned a reputation for knowing how to work with his head coaches. In Washington, Rivera has the power so the general manager will report to him. He and Mayhew share the same agent, but Mayhew also brings a wealth of experience. He served as Detroit’s general manager from 2008 to ’15 — after eight years in the Lions’ front office. Rivera has said he wanted someone who also could handle the administrative duties of the position.

Washington also is expected to hire former Carolina general manager Marty Hurney, though his role was not yet specified, according to a source. Those details were still being worked out Thursday night. ESPN had previously reported that Hurney was expected to become Washington’s GM after he met Monday with Rivera, the main power broker on the football side. Hurney was part of the group that hired Rivera in Carolina; he was fired in 2012 but returned in ’17 for Rivera’s final three seasons. Hurney covered the Washington franchise for the Washington Times in the late 1980s before joining the organization’s public relations group.

Mayhew was named Detroit’s GM late in 2008 after the Lions finished that season 0-16. Detroit was 8-24 in his first two seasons. The Lions made the postseason in 2011 and ’14, the only two years in which they had a winning record during his tenure. Overall, Detroit went 41-63 in his seven-plus seasons.

Mayhew hired Jim Caldwell in 2014 to replace the first coach he had signed, Jim Schwartz. Detroit fired Mayhew midway through the 2015 season. But his hiring of Caldwell paid off: Detroit finished with three winning seasons in Caldwell’s four years with two playoff appearances. It was the first time Detroit had posted consecutive winning seasons since 1994-95.

One person who coached under Mayhew called him “smart, analytical, level-headed” and someone who stayed calm. He was able to have disagreements without it becoming divisive. He also said Mayhew sometimes lacked a gut feel for players, but felt that issue could be lessened if someone else on his staff offered that quality.

Mayhew was the New York Giants’ director of football operations in 2016 before joining San Francisco’s front office a year later. He spent two years as a senior executive and the past two as the vice president of player personnel.

Mayhew played four years as a defensive back in Washington, winning a Super Bowl in the 1991 season. His time in Washington was sandwiched between one season in Buffalo and four in Tampa Bay.

Read original article here

The Ultimate News Site