The San Francisco 49ers stayed quiet on trade deadline day, opting to stand pat despite a pass rusher corps that has been decimated by injury.
While a lot of Niners fans might be upset, general manager John Lynch said Thursday on KNBR Radio that he wasn't going to overpay, especially for a rental.
"That's the needle you have to thread," Lynch said, via 49ers WebZone. "We've done it a lot in the past, where we've given up a lot. Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey -- just about every year we've made one. We made a bunch this year. But you have to stay true.
"And that's not to say we weren't going to do anything, but we weren't going to get fleeced. We weren't going to overpay. It's just not good business. And as they say, sometimes the best deals you do are the ones you don't do. And I felt like, in this case, we felt like, as an organization, that was the best course, and as I mentioned before, we have a lot of belief."
Despite losing Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for the season, and dealing with injuries to a pass rush that has been lambasted, including losing the likes of Mykel Williams, Yetur Gross-Matos and leading pressure-man Bryce Huff for a spell, the only move the Niners made in recent weeks was a low-cost trade for Keion White, who had been benched by the New England Patriots.
"We weren't going to make an overpayment, and I think we like our group," Lynch said. "We're fortunate -- it looks like we're going to get Bryce Huff back, if he continues to get through this week of practice. We add Keion, and he'll continue to add in his contributions to our group. They're a well-coached group, and that's what we have. We've got a lot of belief in that group, and we move forward."
Lynch added that they spoke to other teams about potential trades but didn't want to pay through the nose for a player who wouldn't be in San Francisco long-term.
"We were in on a lot of players," Lynch said. "Sometimes it was just a one-year rental, and we really didn't want to get involved in that. Not to say that we wouldn't. And then, is the player a true needle-mover, a difference-maker? And if you can't say that, well then, really good draft picks, that doesn't make much sense either, just to throw somebody else in the mix, because we like the guys we have."
The Niners spent the offseason getting their books in line while paying starting quarterback Brock Purdy a big new contract. The front office opted to stay the course with its financial prudence rather than sign a contract that might cost it flexibility down the line. San Francisco, in need of low-cost contracts to balance out its books, also wasn't willing to part with draft capital to bring in a rental.
At 6-3, the Niners have a gaping hole at pass rusher, but they'll ride the men they have down the stretch.
