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The San Francisco 49ers traded Jeff Wilson Jr., the team's longest-tenured running back, to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The decision to part ways with Wilson, the team's rushing leader in 2020, did not come lightly.
"I mean, we love Jeff Wilson, and
I would hate to lose him," head coach Kyle Shanahan said just hours before the trade.
General manager John Lynch jumped on a conference call with reporters this afternoon, after the trade deadline had passed, to explain the decision to deal away Wilson. He said the Dolphins reached out a week ago to inquire about the 49ers running back. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
reported last week that San Francisco was fielding calls for Wilson and was willing to listen to potential offers.
After that, the conversations "went quiet," Lynch explained before adding that the 49ers weren't seeking to get rid of Wilson.
"Jeff had communicated with us, in a fashion, that, of course, he loved it here, but he also is loving being an integral part of a football team," Lynch said. "And once we did the Christian [McCaffrey] deal, kind of seeing
Elijah [Mitchell] close to returning, that he wanted the opportunity to continue to do that.
"And we assured him how much we valued him, but that if all those things came to fruition, and there was a team that was willing to give what we deemed the appropriate price, that we'd try to work with him. But [we] also said, 'Jeff, you're too important to us. We believe we have the team to do it, and you're very important to that.'"
Wilson is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. Lynch said the Dolphins started heavily pursuing Wilson on Monday, the day after the running back had just 19 offensive snaps against the Rams compared to
Christian McCaffrey's 43.
"At first, Jeff was excited," Lynch said of the conversation with Wilson to inform him of the trade. "It felt like Miami was a great spot. Obviously, he knows [head coach] Mike [McDaniel] and the crew. And then the emotions hit him, and I was able to share with him, 'Look, you're not only one of my favorite players that I've ever had the opportunity to be around, you're one of my favorite people.'"
The 49ers signed Wilson as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas in 2018. He's been a solid contributor in his five seasons with the Niners, but the writing was on the wall when McCaffrey was acquired. Lynch felt the need to ensure Wilson ended up in a good location and feels he has with the McDaniel and the Dolphins.
"One of the things Mike wanted to share is he knows how special Jeff is to us," Lynch said. "He wanted to assure us that he'd take good care of him. Mike's a great dude. And part of this is you have to make great decisions for your team, but you also try to take care of guys that take care of you.
"I'm not saying that Jeff demanded to be traded or anything, but I think, given the situation, if we could find the right situation for him ... he wanted that opportunity. And we found, I think, a really good situation for him, and good for us, as well."
Wilson will return to Santa Clara on December 4, when the Dolphins travel to Levi's Stadium to play the 49ers.
"I can't say enough nice things about him," Lynch added. "I'm proud of him, I'm happy for him, and I'm grateful for everything that he brought here."
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