49ers CEO Jed York spoke with NBC Sports Bay Area at the NFL owners meetings on Sunday and discussed how close his team came to trading for former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was eventually dealt to the Cleveland Browns.
"We were definitely in it," York said via Matt Maiocco. "We were aggressive. But I think [the Giants] wanted different things than we had to offer. I think it would have been very hard for us to just give up a first-round pick and not get a ton in return, other than just the player, knowing that the second pick in the draft is a very, very valuable pick."
The 49ers own the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft, which the Giants reportedly wanted. They weren't, however, willing to give up the No. 6 pick in return.
San Francisco did manage a trade as free agency approached. On March 12, the team agreed to exchange a second-round pick in next year's draft for former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Dee Ford. The trade was finalized the next day when the 49ers signed Ford to a new five-year deal worth up to $87.5 million.
The 49ers didn't completely ignore the wide receiver position. They signed Jordan Matthews on March 14.
The Giants ended up holding on to their No. 6 and received the Browns' No. 17 overall pick in this year's draft, their second of two third-round picks (No. 95 overall), and two players while giving up Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon.
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