Jordan Matthews had to figure out a way to pry No. 81 away from wide receiver Trent Taylor upon signing with the San Francisco 49ers in March. Usually, that involves the veteran player writing a check to the younger player. Matthews was ready to do so and reached out to Taylor but was taken aback by the third-year receiver's initial asking price.
He didn't give up, though.
Matthews, who joined KNBR on Monday, wore No. 87 in college. It was a tight end number that was pretty much thrown at him, and it stuck. He couldn't get No. 87 when drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles because of tight end Brent Celek. No. 87, obviously, wasn't going to happen in San Francisco.
So he focused on getting his hands on No. 81.
"I really wanted 81, but this guy, this 5-foot-9 beast, has it," Matthews explained on the "Papa and Lund" show. "I don't want to fight him for it."
That's when Matthews started doing his homework. He saw that Pierre Garçon was no longer on the roster, and learned that Taylor wore No. 5 in college.
"I know for a fact, this kid, he's the first 5-9 receiver ever to wear No. 81," Matthews jokingly continued. "He wants to go to 15. He looks way better in 15. But I guarantee you, this little swindler is going to make me still pay for it."
Then when he saw the initial asking price, Matthews said he told Taylor they might have to fight when he arrived. Taylor eventually agreed to switch to No. 15 and No. 81 was Matthews' to use.
So how much did Taylor make off of Matthews? The veteran receiver didn't go into specifics but suggested that it wasn't a bargain.
"Just know if you see his girlfriend with a nice wedding ring on, just know — I better be third down the line at the wedding," Matthews said.
The veteran receiver added, "It definitely gave me more incentive to make the team. I can't spend this much money and get cut."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Matthews below.