The San Francisco 49ers made a trade ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.
It just happened to be a week prior, engineering a move with the New England Patriots for defensive end Keion White in exchange for day-three picks in the draft.
In the final hours counting down to the deadline, and in light of yet more devastating injuries to the defense, one figured general manager John Lynch and Co. would be even more aggressive, especially considering the Niners were still 6-3 despite injuries and have a relatively easy path toward clinching a playoff berth.
And yet San Francisco was quiet despite apparent fire sales from teams like the New York Jets.
According to Lynch, though, the 49ers weren't quiet for a lack of trying. Indeed, they were attempting to make moves, which coincides with deadline-day reports suggesting such.
John Lynch admits teams' asking prices for trades were too high for 49ers
Speaking on his weekly appearance on KNBR 680's Murph & Markus Show on Thursday, Lynch clarified the Niners' stance on not making trades in the final hours before the deadline.
While Lynch and Co. were interested in acquiring talent, the cost to acquire such talent ultimately became too high for San Francisco's comfort levels.
"We were in on a lot of players," Lynch clarified. "Sometimes it was just a one-year rental and we didn't want to get involved in that."
“We weren’t going to get fleeced. We weren’t going to overpay. That’s just bad business.”
John Lynch and the Niners brass weren’t getting fleeced at the deadline.
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Lynch didn't get into too many specifics regarding individual players, but this might apply to the likes of Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who's a free agent this offseason and will command a hefty contract, yet Cincy reportedly wouldn't accept anything less than a first-round pick for his services.
"We weren’t going to get fleeced," Lynch continued. "We weren’t going to overpay. That’s just bad business."
This aligns with last offseason's efforts to get both younger and cheaper, which also included a large-scale reduction in spend by jettisoning veteran talent. In response, Lylnch and the 49ers put a higher focus on the draft as a means to retool the roster.
Now, whether or not that approach works is another question, but it does help explain why the Niners didn't overbid and overpay at the deadline.