Fans may be disappointed that Beckham didn't land in Santa Clara, but the 49ers were in conversations with the Giants for him. New York just wanted too much in exchange for the receiver.
"We were definitely in it," 49ers CEO Jed York recently told NBC Sports Bay Area. "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."
Not only did the Giants want the 49ers No. 2 overall pick, but they wanted two first rounders, according to general manager John Lynch.
"I think, ironically, the fact that we had the No. 2 pick made it more difficult because they wanted that badly," Lynch said Friday morning on KNBR via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "They wanted two No. 1s. And we weren't willing to part with that. It was too valuable of a pick, even for a player of his magnitude. So we tried to come up with creative, different ways to get it done, and it didn't work out. So you move on."
Of course, giving up the No. 2 overall pick doesn't make much sense without getting the Giants' No. 6 in exchange, which New York was reportedly unwilling to do. They didn't have to with the Browns' offer.
Then there is former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. Despite the veteran receiver's strong desire to play for the 49ers, the feeling was not mutual, and he ended up with the Oakland Raiders.
"We took a quick look, and then we just said, 'Hey, we're not interested in that for our team,'" Lynch said about Brown. "That's where we are. I think we feel pretty good about our receiving corps. I know a lot of people don't share our sentiments. That's not to say we're done there. We still have a lot of this offseason left. We have the draft left.
"But we feel good about that, and we want to continue to improve it. So that's where we're at on the receiving corps, and we're going to continue to use this draft to improve ourselves."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers' Trent Williams has two-word reaction to Rams landing Myles Garrett
San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams will be among the players responsible for slowing down star pass rusher Myles Garrett when the team faces the Los Angeles Rams in its Week 1 international matchup in Australia. On Wednesday, the veteran offensive lineman—widely... -
49ers coordinator couldn't hide excitement after defense picks off Brock Purdy
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, new San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris couldn't resist boasting about his defense intercepting quarterback Brock Purdy during practice. The media had only two opportunities to observe organized team activities (OTAs),... -
49ers coordinator says Fred Warner is unlike any star he's coached
The San Francisco 49ers felt the absence of Fred Warner last season. The star linebacker suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle in Week 6, sidelining him for the remainder of the campaign. Now healthy, Warner is preparing to rejoin his teammates on the field. Like... -
Expert names 49ers QB Brock Purdy as MVP candidate; Mac Jones trade talk continues
ESPN NFL analyst Seth Walder recently released his way-too-early list of the top 10 candidates for the NFL MVP award, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made the cut. Purdy missed several games last season while battling a lingering turf toe injury. Despite the...