News of last Thursday's trade came as a shock to Detroit Lions linebacker Eli Harold, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. His lack of versatility eventually sealed his fate. After starting to project what the 53-man roster might look like, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch decided it might be best to send Harold somewhere where he would have a better opportunity.
"We had some numbers issues at certain spots, and we kind of saw how it was probably going to go," Shanahan said last week. "We wanted to do what was best for Eli, best for this organization, and make that decision now."
The 49ers reportedly sent Harold to the Lions for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020. For Detroit, it was a small price to pay for a defensive player with 24 games worth of starting experience.
"It hurt, man. It definitely hurt, man," Harold said via ESPN. "I started my pro life there. Me and my wife moved out there my rookie year, and all of my close friends are out there, and you build a rapport with a group of guys, and we all came in this thing together and, you know, it hurt. But on to new things."
Harold received news of the trade via a text message from Lynch, but only because he didn't recognize the number when the 49ers general manager called.
"It's a tough one because Eli's been everything that we could ask for in terms of the way he comes to work each and every day," Lynch said the day after the trade.
It won't be long before Harold sees his former teammates and coaches again. The 49ers and Lions play each other at Levi's Stadium on September 16. Harold has the date circled on his calendar.
"It's marked," Harold said. "It's definitely marked."
Harold has decided not to kneel during the national anthem this season as he had done in the past. Former teammates Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid remain out of the league with hopes of one day finding a new NFL home.
Harold stood while the national anthem played during each of the 49ers' first two preseason games. The only Niner to demonstrate was Marquise Goodwin, who raises his fist. While Harold insists that Kaepernick and Reid's situations didn't play a part in his decision, he feels it was best for his family right now.
"Like I told the people in San Francisco," Harold shared, "me and my wife talked about it, and this is the best thing for me to do right now, you know? We got a baby on the way. This is a contract year."
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