Early in the NFL’s offseason, Matthew Stafford approached the Detroit Lions’ front office and asked to be traded. Right off the bat, the San Francisco 49ers were mentioned as a team that could be in the mix to land the veteran quarterback. Kyle Shanahan never made a move, though.
The Stafford-to-San Francisco rumors had a bit of substance to them. Jimmy Garoppolo is an average quarterback, at best. Plus, the 49ers are more than capable of competing for a Super Bowl this upcoming season.
In the end though, Stafford was traded to Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers will now have to face him twice a year with either Garoppolo or rookie quarterback Trey Lance under center. It turns out the 49ers were never all too interested in acquiring Stafford when he was put on the trade block.
Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday that the 49ers never made an offer to the Lions to acquire Stafford. They looked into it, but never pulled the trigger.
Kyle Shanahan said the #49ers never made an offer for then Lions QB Matthew Stafford. They’d heard he was available, looked into the film, then “woke up and he was on the Rams. So that’s frustrating.” Also mentioned doing their due diligence on Texans QB Deshaun Watson.
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) July 27, 2021
Things worked out for the San Francisco 49ers. They traded up to acquire the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and took former North Dakota State star Trey Lance. Lance won’t start right away, though.
Kyle Shanahan reaffirmed on Tuesday that Jimmy Garoppolo is his starting quarterback. He doesn’t want to throw Lance into the fire right away. Garoppolo is a proven starter and can hold down the fort until Lance is ready.
Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, will now try and lead the Los Angeles Rams to an NFC West title. To do so, he’ll have to get past what’s expected to be an elite 49ers defense.
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