‘Just more competition’: 49ers’ Fred Warner excited to face Rams’ Matthew Stafford

Kyle Shanahan would have liked to look into the possibility of adding Matthew Stafford this offseason. He was shocked by how quickly the deal between the Detroit Lions and the Las Angeles Rams went down. As a result, Shanahan never got a chance to get his team into the mix.

"I was trying to get involved in it," Shanahan shared earlier this month, sharing that he thought he had more time to do so.

But it was too late. The trade was on its way to being completed.

Now, Stafford is in the NFC West, and the San Francisco 49ers will have to face the veteran quarterback twice a season. News of the trade was shocking to many, especially those within the division. For the Niners defense, it now gets to plan for Stafford, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray six times a season.

Some see it as an opportunity, though. It's a challenge that will test each player and only make them better. 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner joined 95.7 The Game on Friday and was asked what went through his mind when he first heard about the Stafford-to-Rams trade.

"Just more competition in a division where, personally, obviously, I'm going to say that it's the most competitive division in the league," Warner told Damon Bruce and John Dickinson. "And just to add another piece to that for their team, I think that's just fun in my eyes, just to be able to compete against a guy like that."

Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was shipped to the Lions as part of the trade. Warner will face the former NFC West foe in Detroit during Week 1. The first clash against Stafford won't come until Week 10, and then potentially again (depending on the playoff standings) to end the season in Week 18.

"I got to play against [Stafford] my rookie year and saw first hand," Warner shared. "So, I'm excited to compete against him twice a year now."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Warner below.