There was no shortage of buzz surrounding the San Francisco 49ers leading up to the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.
The Niners were reportedly working the phones in an attempt to restock their decimated defensive line, which already lost edge rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams to season-ending ACL tears and has also seen defensive ends Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos suffer injuries, too.
Yet general manager John Lynch ultimately didn't bite on a deal, particularly with the New York Jets, who were reportedly in discussions with San Francisco about a possible trade involving defensive end Jermaine Johnson, according to Connor Hughes of SNY:
Trading Sauce Gardner might just be the start for the #Jets.
It certainly won’t slow down the phone calls, and as Darren Mougey liked to say, he’s going to answer pic.twitter.com/yBKcpg0RKP
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) November 4, 2025
Gang Green's blockbuster fire sale certainly drove more attention toward the 49ers' would-be targeting of Johnson, especially considering the edge rusher was a first-round pickup when now-Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was New York's head coach back in 2022.
However, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Jets weren't going to budge off their asking price for Johnson, a second-round pick:
Spotlight on the Jets in the final 75 minutes of the deadline after two massive deals. Teams say New York wants a 2nd for EDGE Jermaine Johnson, who has expected to stay with the team.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 4, 2025
If those reports are true, then San Francisco deserves credit for avoiding the overpay.
49ers' best deadline deal might have been no trade at all
It's not fully clear just how involved Lynch and Co. were with other teams. The Miami Dolphins could have been actively shopping defensive end Bradley Chubb, and the 49ers already acquired a reserve pass-rusher in Keion White heading into Week 8 before the deadline.
Last offseason, Lynch and the Niners committed to a retooling, parting ways with aging and expensive players in an attempt to get both younger and cheaper. That equates to retaining draft assets being more valuable than using them as trade chips.
Tack on the hard reality facing San Francisco in light of devastating injuries to players like Bosa, Williams and linebacker Fred Warner, and despite owning a 6-3 record, Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan already understand 2025 won't be a year in which the 49ers make a deep playoff push, let alone win a Super Bowl.
Niners Nation's Kyle Posey summed it up rather well:
"The 49ers are also self-aware. Despite their record, it’s clear that this isn’t going to be the year they make a deep playoff run. In 2023, the Niners’ injury luck was pristine. It’s no coincidence that was the season they looked the best under Kyle Shanahan.
It’s been the opposite this season. Every Monday, it’s a foregone conclusion that there will be a new injury popping up. That doesn’t mean the 49ers won’t remain competitive this season, or even make the playoffs. Standing pat is a sign the Niners knew there weren’t any immediate fixes available, and that the offense was going to be the side of the ball to put them over the top."
San Francisco doesn't want to mortgage its future in light of not being a true Super Bowl contender. It'd be one thing if injuries hadn't gotten in the way (they have on a massive level), and a blockbuster swing for the fences would have otherwise made sense.
In the 49ers' current context, though, an aggressive move for someone like Johnson wasn't worth it.
Good for them to stick to the path established during the offseason.