In recent years, the San Francisco 49ers have been very active in the lead-up to the trade deadline, and this season proved no different. Just hours before yesterday's deadline, general manager John Lynch and company reached an agreement to acquire former No. 2 overall draft pick Chase Young from the Washington Commanders.
Lynch's squad has lost three consecutive games, dropping their record to 5-3. That has them looking up at the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West standings and the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference standings. Those two teams made their own moves ahead of the trade deadline, with the Eagles adding safety Kevin Byard and the Seahawks acquiring defensive end Leonard Williams.
Did those moves create a sense of urgency within the 49ers' organization?
"No. In fact, I think you fight that," Lynch said this morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "You want to do it because it's your process, and you believe that this is the right deal."
Lynch admits that he woke up on Tuesday morning with a sense that no substantial deal would come to fruition despite the 49ers engaging in several conversations with teams. On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the 49ers' chances of making a significant move ahead of the trade deadline.
"I know John's been working on that for the last month," Shanahan said. "He's talking with everyone, as every team does right now. If we think there is a chance to improve us, we'll do it. It doesn't sound like there's a lot of options out there, but that doesn't mean, for sure, no."
According to Lynch, none of those discussions seemed to be progressing toward a finalized deal.
"We had had a number of conversations, but nothing was looking like it was going to work out, and you've got to be okay," Lynch said. "I get it. You've set the [bar]. Like the [RB Christian] McCaffrey deal [last year], that's a once-in-every-20-year deal. But it also creates a standard and expectation for not only the fan base but for everyone in our building. Okay, what's coming this year? Nothing, if it doesn't make sense.
"And so you have to fight that as well. And believe me, I talk to everyone, and we're not doing this because [of] the Eagles. We've got to look ourselves in the mirror, and we've got to follow our principles. So you have to be careful that it's not that. But ultimately, something came together at the very end."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.