General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled off a blockbuster deal at last year's trade deadline which sent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers.
The team was quiet as Tuesday's deadline came and went.
Lynch had said on KNBR just days earlier that the team was involved in a lot of conversations. About 20 minutes before the deadline, Shanahan was asked if any moves, whether they be player additions or subtractions, were imminent.
"I know our guys are working their tails off," Shanahan told reporters. "They're on the phones, and they'll be doing that all the way up to the time. But as of right now, no."
The lack of activity was disappointing to fans, who were hoping to see the team be a bit more aggressive. After all, the undefeated Los Angeles Rams, a very aggressive team this offseason, completed a deal to acquire Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Dante Fowler while Shanahan was speaking to reporters.
Shanahan joined KNBR on Wednesday morning and explained why the team didn't make any moves.
"All we're trying to do is improve ourselves," he said on the "Murph & Mac" show. "The fact that we didn't do anything means there wasn't an option to improve ourselves. There could have been something where we traded away a couple of draft picks where you get a better player for these last eight games, but you go into next year where you've lost both of those draft picks.
"When we say we're trying to do this the right way, we're trying to make decisions that give us the best chance to win now, but also not at the expense of costing us in the future.
"We're not in a great spot right now with our record. We'd love to add a bunch of people to come in here and help us get through this year and help some of the guys who are injured. But just to win a few more games in his situation to hurt us for next year, that's not something we're willing to do.
"We tried hard to add some guys to where we also thought it could benefit us in the future and no options came up."
Help may come via next year's draft. As of right now, the 49ers are holding on to a slight edge (.574 SOS vs. .576) over the New York Giants for the No. 1 overall pick. The 49ers host the Giants during Week 10 at Levi's Stadium. San Francisco's Thursday-night opponent, the Oakland Raiders, is situated at the No. 3 spot.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
