The San Francisco 49ers were widely expected to be active ahead of the NFL trade deadline, especially with a roster thinned by injuries to key players. Naturally, fans assumed head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would make aggressive moves to strengthen the team for the playoff push.
However, last week's addition of defensive lineman Keion White turned out to be the 49ers' only in-season trade. Rather than making a splash move, San Francisco chose to stand pat at the trade deadline. The decision surprised some fans, prompting Shanahan to clarify the team's reasoning on Wednesday.
Does the lack of activity mean the 49ers are waving the white flag on this season?
"I don't think it has to do with how we view this year's team," Shanahan told reporters. "I think we worked just as hard this year to make a trade that made sense for our team this year and next year, just as hard as we do every year. There's a lot of teams with records like 6-3 or better that didn't make any big trade."
Shanahan emphasized that splashy trades don't always equate to smart, sustainable long-term moves.
"Just because you make a big trade doesn't mean it's always the smart move," he added. "There's a lot of risk that goes into it, not just for this year, but throughout your whole future.
"I was excited we were able to make one that we felt real good about last week, in getting Keion. I know we looked into a ton of them, but the asking price was too much on all the ones."
There were reports that the 49ers explored a potential deal for New York Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson, but the Jets' asking price—a second-round draft pick—proved too steep for San Francisco's front office.
Despite the lack of headline-grabbing moves, the 49ers remain in strong playoff contention with a 6-3 record. Shanahan rejected the idea that the team has overachieved given its injury situation.
"I wouldn't say overachieved because we believe we could do this," Shanahan said. "I think, always, when you have injuries, it's much more of a challenge, definitely. But I think some of the key positions we have had key injuries, we've had some good guys step up. I don't think, in all these positions, it's just a total backup. I think we've had some guys come in and play like starters.
"And I also know other teams in the league have some of these issues, too. So, we're 6-3, and we've got a chance here. We're in the hunt, and we'll see how we finish the rest of this half out."
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